Presentation: Frida Kahlo (1907–1954), arguably the most famous Mexican woman artist, created works of art that, over time, have been assigned many associations: naïve, folk, surrealist, feminist, modern. “Fridamania” expanded greatly after Kahlo’s death in 1954: people wanted to be her, people wanted to collect her. Her fame rose as a result of several factors: touring exhibitions, her home studio in Mexico City was turned into a museum, and the acclaimed Hollywood film Frida (2002) starring Salma Hayek was released. Dalton will also situate the ‘after-lives’ of Kahlo within the wider context of other women artist studios of the same time period, such as American Lee Krasner, and Canadian Maud Lewis. This talk will explore the ways in which the persona, life and work of Frida Kahlo has been mythologized through popular culture such as films, and in the creation of cultural spaces such as her home studio.

Presenter: Dr Laurie (Jane) Dalton is the Director/Curator of the Acadia University Art Gallery and an adjunct professor in Acadia’s Department of History & Classics. She has curated over 70 exhibitions, most recently: Beyond La Llorona: Women & Resistance in Oaxacan Printmaking. Dalton’s research interests lie in visual culture, museums and exhibition history, in particular how ‘meaning’ is a process of displays, didactics, and audience exchange. Her upcoming research project in Oaxaca examines the cultural symbol of the shopping cart.