Frida Kahlo's Private Possessions Unveiled 50 Years After Her Death in Photographic Series
During her life, Mexican painter and fierce fashionista Frida Kahlo showcased an assemblage of stylish fashion as frequently as she displayed provocative artwork.
Fifty years after her death, Kahlo's sealed wardrobe has been pried open, revealing beautiful Tehuana dresses, cat-eye glasses, contoured corsets and much more.
Photographer Ishiuchi Miyako took stock of the items that were purposefully tucked away by Kahlo's partner of 27 years, famed painter Diego Rivera. The items were located in Kahlo's bathroom within "The Blue House," which she shared with Rivera in Mexico City until her death in 1954. Rivera gave explicit instructions, stating he wanted the items to remain hidden until 15 years after his death, which occurred 1957. The wardrobe wasn't unlocked until 2004.
Miyako captured images of trinkets, letters, gifts and over 300 articles of clothing worn and used by the famous artist: her prosthetic leg set in a beautifully styled boot, her nail polish, her mustard skirt, her compact mirror, her corsets, and the delicately embellished full body cast attached to a full length skirt to hide her deformities. Her inventiveness when it came to fashion was reintroduced to the public via Miyako images, helping admirers to re-imagine the artist's life by evaluating her attire.
Kahlo's infamous bus-trolley car collision in 1925 forever marked her. She suffered a broken collarbone, a shattered pelvis, a broken spinal column, several broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, 11 fractures in her leg and a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a handrail pierced her uterus and abdomen. Additionally, Kahlo was afflicted with polio. Those discomforts impacted Kahlo her entire life, but she continued to display her legendary artistic talents.
Miyako's "Frida," a book and traveling exhibit, will be displayed in London from May 14 to July 12.
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