VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents a Special Lecture: Houston Celebrates Mexico 2010: Frida Kahlo: A Deeper Look, Thursday, April 22, at 6:30pm, in the Caroline Wiess Law Building. Admission is free and open to the public. A reception to meet the speaker follows the program. Presented by art historian and lecturer, Gregorio Luke, Former Director of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach.

"In 1953, when Frida Kahlo had her first solo exhibition in Mexico (the only one held in her native country during her lifetime), a local critic wrote: ´It is impossible to separate the life and work of this extraordinary person." Born in 1907, a childhood disease caused her right leg to wither. A gruesome bus accident when she was a teenager led to numerous operations and a life of virtually constant pain.

Gregorio Luke presents a kaleidoscopic portrait of Kahlo´s life, her work, and her marriage to the legendary Mexican muralist Diego Rivera through more than 300 images of her paintings, documentary photographs, recently published personal letters and diary entries, and rare film footage. This panoramic presentation reveals a multi-faceted Kahlo whose persona was deeply rooted in Mexican culture and popular art traditions.

This program is generously sponsored by Bank of America, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston as part of Houston Celebrates Mexico 2010, a year of events marking the 200th anniversary of Mexican Independence.