Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nickolas Muray

In May 1931, photographer Nickolas Muray (1892–1965) traveled to Mexico, where he met a woman he would never forget. Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) would become one of the nation’s most prolific and well-known artists. The two began an on-and-off romance that would continue for the next decade and a friendship that lasted until her death in 1954. This pop-up exhibition features a rotating selection of photographic portraits of Kahlo taken by Muray during this period. The photographs, dating from 1937 to 1946, explore Muray’s unique perspective as Kahlo's friend, lover, and confidant. Muray's photographs highlight Kahlo's deep interest in her Mexican heritage, her life and travels, and the family and friends around her.

Born in Hungary, Nickolas Muray became a successful New York fashion and commercial photographer known for his portraits of celebrities, politicians, socialites, and artists. Having experimented with color from early on in his career, he found his most colorful model in Frida Kahlo. Muray was a prolific photographer, his archives containing over 25,000 images. Muray photographed Kahlo more than any of his other subjects. These portraits of Kahlo have made their way into a variety of media and popular culture, and are integral to the world’s understanding of who Frida Kahlo was as an individual behind her artwork.