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For Immediate Release
Contact:
Lee Ortega, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Phone: 305.673.7530
Fax: 305.673.7062
E-mail: lortega@bassmuseum.org

MIAMI BEACH, FL - (October 3, 2006) — Never seen before in Miami, Five Fridas is an intimate showing of five works by famed Mexican artist and icon Frida Kahlo, which are part of the National Heritage of Mexico. These five small-scale works range from 1928 to 1951, and offer an introspective glimpse into the various stages of this extraordinary artist’s life. The popular concepts of Kahlo’s artistic range are present in these works, including direct representation of traditional Mexican objects and motifs, as well as trademark surrealistic paintings that employ a more personal, intimate and spiritual insight into Kahlo's memory and vivid imagination.

Two watercolors from the earliest stages in her career are on view, including a still life of folk-art objects entitled Caballito mexicano (Little Mexican Horse). This work was completed in 1928, the year she encountered Diego Rivera for the second time while he was decorating the patios of her school, and when she first asked his opinion of her artistic abilities. The second watercolor, Vista de Central Park (View of Central Park) 1932, was completed after her marriage to Rivera, during a year when the couple was traveling extensively throughout the United States. Drawn from the window of her and Rivera’s hotel room at the Barbizon- Plaza, it is a wintry view of the pond at the south end of the park.

The oil on masonite painting Sol y vida (Sun and Life), 1947 was completed after Kahlo began garnering recognition for her work, and after divorcing and remarrying Rivera. The artist’s physical and mental suffering is depicted in this abstract work that conjures up a forest of organic forms in the shape of open wombs.

The oil on masonite still life painting, Naturaleza muerta con perico y bandera (Still Life with Parrot and Flag) is one of the artists’s last and most impressive still lifes. The beautifully rendered fruits exude playfulness and sensuality, heightened by the inclusion of a bright green parrot among a tightly cropped composition of whole and sliced fruits. This painting has been interpreted as a portrait of Mexico - as a maternal figure with abundant fruit as a testament to its fertility and richness. This painting, as well as Naturaleza muerta - soy de Samuel Fastlicht (Still Life, I belong to Samuel Fastlicht), were both completed in 1951, three years before her death in 1954.

Bass Museum of Art
2121 Park Avenue (in Collins Park), Miami Beach, Florida 33139 T: 305.673.7530 F: 305.674.5475
www.bassmuseum.org

General Admission (on other days)
$8 adults, $6 seniors/students. Free, members & children under 6. Group discounts available.

Museum Hours and Docent Tours
Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Sunday 11 am-5 pm, closed Mondays and holidays. Docent tours every Saturday (except holidays), 2 pm and by appointment. Call 305.673,7530 x1005 to make reservations. Docent tours free with museum admission.

Bass Museum Shop
An eclectic selection of art, architecture and photography books; folk art from around the world; one-of-a-kind decorative and gift items; jewelry by local and international artisans; postcards; and educational toys. .

Parking
Metered parking lot on site. Additional metered parking is available on perimeter streets.

The Bass Museum of Art receives both public and private general operating funding. Major support comes from the City of Miami Beach, with the support of the Mayor and Commissioners of the City of Miami Beach and Friends of the Bass Museum, Inc. This project is also supported by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts; and the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program and Cultural Arts Council.