Stuck on Frida.

11/4/2017

I have been much taken up with making little busts of Frida Kahlo and getting a lot of pleasure from it! They are all quite similar, varying mainly in the colour of the woollen fabric used, the decorations in the hair and their facial expressions. Each one stands approximately 15cms, (6'') tall, their size makes them perfect for taking to work on during train journeys or when i'm a passenger in a car.
I have been looking at her paintings closely, especially the self portraits, studying her hairstyles twisted with ribbons and flower, the fabulous starched lace Tehuana headdresses, and her wonderful clothes. She loved bright colours and indigenous costumes, many items richly embroidered and trimmed with lace.
After her death in 1954 her bedroom and dressing room were closed up and not reopened for fifty years, this was 2004. There followed many months of cataloguing, photographing, repairing and conserving her things before they could go on show.
Some of those items will be exhibited at the V&A next year. I am very much looking forward to this exhibition! Frida Kahlo's Wardrobe - artefacts and clothing begins 16th June 2018. www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/frida-kahlos-wardrobe