WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Norton Museum of Art is pleased to present Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, on view from October 23, 2021 through February 6, 2022. Featuring more than 150 works, including paintings and works on paper collected by Jacques and Natasha Gelman alongside photographs and period clothing, the exhibition includes the largest group of works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera ever on view at the institution.

Presenting these artists’ creative pursuits in the broader context of the art created during the renaissance following the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1920, the exhibition also includes work by Manuel and Lola Alvarez Bravo, Miguel Covarrubias, Gunther Gerzso, Maria Izquierdo, Carlos Merida, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Juan Soriano, and Rufino Tamayo. It explores these artists’ distinctive interpretations of modernism as expressed in themes of nature, home, and family in photographs and easel and large-scale mural paintings.

Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism is organized by the Vergel Foundation and MondoMostre in collaboration with the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL). It is curated by the Vergel Foundation curator, Magda Carranza de Akle, and for the Norton by Ellen E. Roberts, Harold and Anne Berkley Smith Curator of American Art.

The museum will mount a series of public and member programs will complement the exhibition, with Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Director Julian Zugazagoitia holding an opening lecture for members. Throughout the exhibition, the Norton will host both remote and in-person programs, including curator conversations, art making, book discussions, and special tours.

To conclude the exhibition’s run at the Norton, the museum will present a symposium on January 22. Led by Roberts, Modernism in Mexico will include panel conversations with Mary Coffey, Professor of Art History, Dartmouth College; Ramon Favela, Research Professor Emeritus, UC Santa Barbara; Anna Indych-Lopez, Associate Professor, City College and the Graduate Center, CUNY; and Stephanie Weissberg, Associate Curator, Pulitzer Arts Foundation. A full list of programs follows on the second page, and additional details can be found at Norton.org.

“Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism is among the largest exhibition of Mexican art that we’ve ever presented,” said Ghislain d’Humieres, Director and CEO of the Norton Museum of Art. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to exhibit works by esteemed artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in the context of their peers and in conversation with our collection. Beyond presenting outstanding art, this exhibition reflects the relationships and tastes that the Gelmans shared with the artists in their orbit. Offering audiences the chance to view these works through the lens of their collection, the exhibition suggests fresh modes of experiencing beloved works of art.”

In conjunction with this exhibition, the Norton will launch Guia, an eight week-long bilingual docent training program for students from the local John I. Leonard High School. Participants will learn to facilitate conversations with exhibition visitors and sharpen their visual literacy and public speaking skills. After the eight-week program, students can lead tours of the exhibition in Spanish.

A companion exhibition titled Frida and Me, curated by Assistant Curator Rachel Gustafson, will present a selection of works that respond to and are inspired by Kahlo’s works and practice. Additional related programming will be announced in the coming months.

Visit the website of the Norton Museum of Art and see its dedicated page for Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection.