Frida Kahlo photographed for the October 1, 1937 issue of Vogue. "Faces of Frida" project. All... [+]
Google's efforts to showcase culture, art collections and artists from around the world and make it available for millions to see online, has zeroed in on Frida Kahlo to celebrate her legacy as one of the most important artists in modern history and the impact she had on fashion, music and dance.
"Faces of Frida," a collaboration between Google Arts & Culture, 33 museums from 7 countries and experts from all over the world, is bringing the Mexican artist's most iconic artworks together in one place. Curators of the project, which exhibits 800 items, describe it as the largest collection of artworks, artefacts, photographs and documents related to Frida Kahlo ever compiled.
"It's a true global effort. Frida's name kept coming up as a top contender when we started to think of what artist would be the best to feature in a retrospective. There's so much of her that was not known and could still be explored from an artistic perspective and life experience," explains Google's Head of Hispanic Communications Jesús Garcia, on selecting the iconic artist for the project.
Many artworks and artefacts featured have rarely been seen in public, including several pieces from private collections that have never been available online, such as View of New York, drawn as Kahlo gazed out the window of the Barbizon Plaza Hotel in 1932. The Sketch for Self-Portrait with Airplane, for example, was drawn on the back of the famous Portrait of Virginia and rarely sees the light of day.
A total of 20 artworks have been captured in gigapixel resolution by Google’s Art Camera, many of which are from private collections and have never before been digitized. The collection also features hundreds of personal photographs, letters, journals and clothes.
"This expertly curated online exhibition presents an intimate view of Frida Kahlo’s life and loves through her vibrant letters, candid photographs, and unpublished essays,” says Kate Haw, director of the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. “Through the story threads of these original records — a total of 54 rare documents drawn from our collections — we gain a deeper understanding of Frida’s relationships with historian Florence Arquin, artist Emmy Lou Packard, photographer Nickolas Muray, art collector Chester Dale, and writer John Weatherwax. We are grateful to Google Arts & Culture for this unique opportunity to partner with them and so many extraordinary institutions in the first online retrospective dedicated to the legacy of one of the world’s most important artists."
Google allows users to explore iconic locations from Frida Kahlo’s life using Street View and visit the places that made an impact on her career, including the "Blue House" where Frida Kahlo was born, lived and died. Thanks to an enhanced Street View experience, you can check out the highlights on display at Frida Kahlo Museum from your desktop or mobile device by tapping on any artwork at the bottom of the screen to see how it looks on the wall.
The collection also features an original piece of art, created specially for “Faces of Frida” by artist Alexa Meade, guided by Kahlo’s great-niece, photographer Cristina Kahlo.
