Frida Kahlo Exhibit at the VMFA

I went to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. It was similar to the exhibit I saw a few years ago at North Carolina’s Museum of Art. However, the VMFA did an excellent job with its staging of her work. The exhibit felt like you were in a Pueblo home with cut outs in the walls that allowed you to see into other rooms.

The exhibit was light on actually paintings by Frida. It had more videos, photographs taken by other visual artists/lovers of Frida. I did appreciate seeing one of Frida’s earlier paintings and photos of her that weren’t the typical ones that flood social media.

I like the way Frida signs her name in this painting.

Frida’s still life work don’t get as much attention as they should. I am a huge fan of her still lives. Her use of fruits found in Mexico. And staking the Mexican flag in the fruits as if to remind us that Mexico plays a large role in the world as our fruit and veggies source.

I rarely leave a museum store without getting the exhibit book but I did not this time because thrifted Frida art books are so much better than the new ones and I have way too many in my current studio library.

The exhibit at the VMFA ends on September 25, 2025.