Overview
| La Trobe Art Institute, 121 View Street, Bendigo VIC 3550 | |
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| $15 General. $10 Concession and Members |
Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird is one of Frida Kahlo’s most celebrated self-portraits, produced at the height of her artistic power in 1940. Rich in poetic allusions, the painting includes recurring motifs from Kahlo’s painting, such as thorned vines, dense foliage, and a pet monkey, along with more unusual elements. Painted during the year of her divorce from Diego Rivera, and at the symbolically charged age of 33 years, this painting is often interpreted as an expression of the artist’s profound emotional and physical pain and martyrdom.
For the first time since the painting was made, in Bendigo it will be reunited objects from Kahlo’s home and studio, which are referenced in the painting: a delicate silver filigree butterfly brooch and a print by Hungarian photographer, and friend of the Riveras, Martin Munkácsi.
In this talk, each element of Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird will be closely examined to reveal insights into Kahlo’s influences, the significance of her symbols, her artistic methods, and the extraordinary universe she created within her beloved home, La Casa Azul.
Never before displayed in Australia, Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird is generously on loan to Bendigo Art Gallery from the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.
