Precious pictures of Frida Kahlo, taken by Leo Matiz, on display for the first time at the Ar33 Studio of Venice.
From 18th June to 18th August 2016, the
Ar33 Studio of Venice, close to Piazza San Marco, will host an extraordinary and unique exhibition:
30 unedited pictures of Frida Kahlo taken by one of the greatest photographers of the XX century,
Leo Matiz.
Frida Kahlo, whose life began and ended in Mexico City, is world-renowned as an
icon of contemporary art (and of Magic realism indeed), well-known for her sensitive and enigmatic self-portraits and universally celebrated for her great depiction of the female world. Last but not least, she is a powerful symbol of strength and resistance to physical and mental pain.
Leo Matiz, Colombian photographer and artist, who had Venetian origins, met Frida in the 1940s: the result of their friendship is
a series of pictures, taken both in black and white and in colours, in which the Mexican painter is portrayed in the quiet and intimate atmosphere of her private life.
These images, captured during a particularly scandalous period of her life, reveal Frida’s quiet attitude in front of the camera. The photos by Leo Matiz correspond to Frida's artistic and personal maturity and to the acceptance of her physical fragilities and her husband’s (Diego Rivera) evidence of infidelity.
In 1998, Leo Matiz reminded of the first time he met Frida and Diego: “I met up with Diego Rivera several times and it’s curious how many things we now know about Frida Kahlo, were unknown to the people at that time. To me, she had a quite sad life. Diego had a strong personality and Frida was a fragile woman condemned to disability for the whole life. She was full of corsets and similar objects. Actually, she was invalid and her suffering was evident.
She used art to release herself”.
The exhibition, organized by the
Ar33 Studio of Venice and
Leo Matiz Foundation, will give us the opportunity to
look inside an extraordinary moment of both Leo and Frida's lives. In the studio we can also admire photographic works of
Arsen Revazov, the owner of this incredible studio gallery in the heart of Venice.
Opening hours
Everyday from 10:30 am to 07:30 pm
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