The Tamesis
Curators at Tate Modern have discovered that Frida Kahlo’s global popularity now comes with a practical drawback: it is becoming increasingly difficult to borrow her paintings.
Upcoming exhibitions at the museum, Frida: The Birth of an IconAccording to media reports, the exhibition due to open in June will feature 36 works by the Mexican artist, fewer than the 50 works displayed during the last major Kahlo exhibition at the Tate Modern in 2005. era london. (The exhibition premieres at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston this month before traveling to London.)
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The decline reflects the growing scarcity, value and institutional demand for Kahlo’s works.
That pressure intensified last fall when Kahlo’s 1940 painting appeared. El sueño (La cama) The sale at Sotheby’s New York for US$54.7 million set a new auction record for a work by a female artist.
The result surpassed Kahlo’s own high of $34.9 million in 2021 and underscored how tightly controlled her most important work is.
Since then, several high-profile loans have proven elusive. The Tate is still working to secure El sueño (La cama) For this exhibition, curator Tobias Ostrander said the chances are slim.
“Generally speaking [36] Pieces are chosen specifically to address certain themes, but you know, we’ve tried some pieces that people wouldn’t loan out,” Ostrander told the outlet era. “For example, Madonna took out a loan in 2005 but won’t take out a loan now.
This exhibition does not attempt a traditional retrospective, but rather places Kahlo’s work within a broader cultural framework. More than 80 artists influenced by Kahlo will be included, while a section explores “Fridamania” and the mass marketing of her image, from fashion to consumer goods.
Kahlo was once a marginal figure during his lifetime, but now he has become a central figure in the history of 20th century art. This transformation, the curators say, is what this exhibition seeks to explore, even if it complicates the task of assembling it.
