15 March - 20 July 2025
A unique opportunity to explore the intimate universe of Frida Kahlo through the lens of photographer Nickolas Muray. This exhibition offers an exclusive glimpse into the life and personality of the iconic Mexican artist through approximately 60 photographs, both in color and black and white, taken by the Hungarian-American photographer between 1937 and 1946. Museo storico della Fanteria – Piazza di S. Croce in Gerusalemme, 9
An unmissable occasion to deepen one’s understanding of Frida Kahlo, exploring not only her artistic production but also her deep connection with Mexican culture and the people closest to her. The images portray Frida in everyday moments, both alone and with her husband Diego Rivera, friends, and Muray himself, with whom she shared a romantic relationship and a lasting friendship until her death in 1954.
In addition to the photographs, the exhibition “Frida Kahlo: through the lens of Nickolas Muray” presents original letters exchanged between Kahlo and Muray, rare videos capturing them together, eight traditional Mexican outfits inspired by the artist’s style, a selection of handmade jewelry and accessories, and a collection of commemorative stamps issued in her honor by various nations.
The exhibition allows visitors to explore the world of Frida Kahlo through the lens of Nickolas Muray, a photographer renowned for his extraordinary color portraits. The exhibition path features a selection of shots taken between 1937 and 1946, during the years when Muray and Kahlo maintained a romantic relationship and a deep friendship. Visitors will witness Frida in intimate and public contexts, discovering details of her personality, style, and artistic and political commitment.
At the heart of the exhibition are approximately 60 photographs, both in color and black and white, portraying Frida in various contexts: alone, with her husband Diego Rivera, friends, and Muray himself. The photographs highlight not only Muray’s mastery as a portraitist and pioneer of color photography, but also the intimacy and complicity between him and Frida. Through his lens, Muray captures the essence of the artist, emphasizing her deep bond with her homeland and her complex personality.
Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) is one of the most celebrated and beloved artists of the 20th century. Born in Coyoacán, a suburb of Mexico City, her life was marked by painful events that deeply influenced her art. A serious bus accident confined her to prolonged convalescences and multiple surgeries, during which she began to paint.
Her works, characterized by strong symbolism and deep introspection, address themes such as physical and psychological pain, identity, femininity, and Mexican artistic expressions. Frida became an icon not only for her art but also for her unique style and her political and social engagement.
On September 17, 1925, at only 18 years old, Frida was the victim of a terrible bus accident that radically changed her life. That day, Frida and her then-boyfriend Alejandro Gómez Arias boarded a bus to return home from school. The vehicle collided with a tram, causing devastation. The impact was brutal: a metal handrail pierced the young woman’s body, from her abdomen to her pelvis, causing severe damage to her spine, pelvis, and internal organs. She also sustained multiple fractures in her legs, foot, and collarbone.
Doctors were uncertain whether she would survive, and for a long period, the young artist was forced to remain bedridden, undergoing over 30 surgical operations throughout her life. The long convalescence was a crucial period for her artistic career: confined to bed with a plaster cast, she began painting using a mirror placed above her bed. It was during this time that her first self-portraits were born, which became a constant in her artistic production.
Physical suffering and the trauma of the accident became recurring themes in her art. Frida used painting as a way to process her pain, express her identity, and tell the story of her condition as a woman. This event marked the beginning of a life characterized by chronic pain, but also an extraordinary career in which her personal experience became an integral part of her work.
Frida Kahlo is one of the hardest artists to categorize within a single artistic movement, as her painting draws from various influences and lies at the intersection of different trends. However, with a strong national identity, Frida developed a pictorial language deeply rooted in indigenous traditions. Vivid colors, archaic symbols, Tehuana clothing, and religious and folkloric references are integral to her visual imagery.
Kahlo used these elements to assert a proud and resilient cultural identity, finding in painting a means of personal and political expression. Her vibrant palette can be linked primarily to three major movements: Mexican folk art, Surrealism, and Magical Realism.
Frida Kahlo was deeply connected to her origins, not only in everyday life but also in her art. Indigenism and Mexican folk art greatly influenced her style. Her paintings often incorporate elements of pre-Columbian tradition, folklore, and Mexican craftsmanship, featuring vivid colors, mystical symbolism, and representations of nature.
Her choice to wear traditional Tehuana clothing, use decorative elements typical of indigenous art, and portray scenes reminiscent of ex-votos (Mexican votive paintings) demonstrates her strong bond with her land. This attachment was also a political statement, aligned with her communist ideology and her desire to exalt national identity.
Frida Kahlo is often associated with Surrealism, an art movement developed in the 1920s that sought to explore the unconscious and the dream world. André Breton, one of Surrealism’s founders, visited Mexico in 1938 and described Frida as a “natural surrealist” However, the artist firmly rejected this label, stating:
“I don’t paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.”
Though she did not identify with the Surrealist movement, many of her works share similar characteristics, such as the use of enigmatic symbolism, fantastical figures, and the blending of dream and reality. Her paintings are often visionary and dreamlike, with a strong autobiographical component, yet always grounded in her personal experience.
Another movement often associated with Frida Kahlo’s art is Magical Realism, a literary and artistic current widespread in Latin America that combines realistic elements with fantastical or surreal situations. In her paintings, Frida depicts events from her life with strong narrative and symbolic elements, yet never loses touch with reality.
Works such as The Two Fridas (1939) or The Bus (1929) portray seemingly ordinary scenes imbued with hidden meanings, symbolic elements, and biographical references. Her style is deeply narrative and recalls Mexican representational traditions, where the line between reality and imagination is thin. Pain, passion, and Mexican identity powerfully emerge in her paintings, making her a timeless icon of global art.
A chance encounter destined to leave a lasting imprint. The bond between Frida Kahlo and Nickolas Muray began by chance in 1931, during a visit to Mexico by the photographer, accompanied by artist Miguel Covarrubias, a mutual friend and student of Diego Rivera. Muray met Frida at Rivera’s home and was immediately captivated by her. Thus began a romantic relationship that would last for over a decade, often carried out in secret, between Mexico and the United States.
Their friendship endured until the artist’s death in 1954. Their first meeting is not documented in photographs, but starting in 1937, Muray began to regularly portray Frida, creating a body of work that today represents one of the most significant visual testimonies of the artist’s life.
In addition to the photographs, the exhibition features a selection of original letters exchanged between Frida Kahlo and Nickolas Muray during their relationship. These documents offer an intimate insight into their bond, revealing personal and emotional aspects of the artist. Furthermore, rare videos showing them together on various occasions are also on display, allowing visitors to immerse themselves further into their story.
Another section of the exhibition is dedicated to Frida Kahlo’s distinctive style. On display are eight traditional Mexican dresses, made by indigenous artisans, reproducing the characteristic clothing of the artist. Alongside these is a selection of handmade jewelry and accessories that reveal her taste and love for Mexican craftsmanship. These items emphasize how Frida used fashion as an expression of her personal identity.
In addition to photographs, the exhibition includes a selection of original letters between Kahlo and Muray, revealing the deep bond between the two. These writings provide a rare window into the emotions and innermost thoughts of the artist.
The exhibition also includes a collection of stamps issued by various countries in honor of Frida Kahlo. This collection highlights the international recognition and admiration for the artist, emphasizing the lasting impact of her figure and work in the global intellectual landscape.
Another section is dedicated to Frida’s clothing and accessories. The displayed traditional garments testify to her connection with Mexican roots and her desire to express her identity through fashion.
Frida Kahlo was much more than a recognizable face or a distinctive painting style. She was a woman who knew how to transform pain—physical, emotional, existential—into a universal artistic language. Her paintings, often self-portraits, speak of suffering, love, loss, identity, and the body. These were unheard-of themes in male-dominated art and are still deeply relevant today.
She painted without censorship divorce, miscarriage, childbirth, domestic violence, and betrayal. She challenged gender roles by posing in men’s clothing in family portraits and proudly claimed her bisexuality. She made womanhood—in all its contradictions, vulnerabilities, and powers—the center of her artistic narrative.
In a sense, Frida was the unwitting mother of today’s influencers. Of her 143 known paintings, 55 are self-portraits: a true visual diary avant la lettre. Without the need for pretexts or pretenses, Frida showed herself as she was: with her iconic unibrow, proudly displayed facial hair, and the vibrant colors of traditional Mexican clothing. Every brushstroke was an act of self-affirmation, every painting a way of speaking to the world—just like we do today on social media, through images, stories, and public confessions.
But for Frida, it wasn’t a pose—it was truth. There was no filter, except that of the soul. The radical autobiographical nature of her work is what continues to fascinate and inspire different generations. In her, the personal becomes political, pain becomes art, and difference becomes beauty.
Visiting the exhibition is a unique opportunity to deepen your knowledge of one of the most emblematic figures of 20th-century art. The show offers not only an overview of Frida Kahlo’s artistic production but also a privileged look at her private life, her relationships, and her connection to her people.
This extraordinary event invites us not only to see Frida through Muray’s lens but to look at her with new eyes: not as a figure from the past, but as a voice still powerfully relevant. A woman who lived fully and had the courage to tell her story. Even to us.
You will discover a lesser-known Frida, through the eyes of someone who immortalized her with affection and admiration. A full immersion into the universe of the artist that allows visitors to better understand her character, talent, and cultural legacy with an intimate and profound perspective—not only of the artist but also of the woman behind the works, with her passions, her sufferings, and her unmistakable style.
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