Mexican Modernism: PDX Art Exhibit

by · May 27, 2022

The Portland Art Museum is having a special bilingual exhibition of artworks from the Mexican Modernism art period of the 1910’s to the 1920’s. The exhibit is named after Jacques and Natalia Gelman who were close friends of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, both of whom are spotlighted in the collection. 

There are also photographs and displays of “period clothing,” specifically in the styles Kahlo was known for wearing. Other artists that were featured were Manuel and Lola Álvarez Bravo, Miguel Covarrubias, Gunther Gerzso, María Izquierdo, Carlos Mérida, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Juan Soriano, and Rufino Tomayo. 

Admission prices don’t change between exhibits and are free for members and children under 17. Adult tickets cost $25, but for seniors (65+) and college students the price is $22. Be sure to reserve tickets for the Mexican Modernism exhibit before June 5.

Photographed portraits of Kahlo and Rivera were on display as well. These artists included Lucienne Bloch, Imogen Cunningham, Juan Guzmán, Graciela Iturbide, Nickolas Muray, Edward Weston, and Guillermo Kahlo who was Frida Kahlo’s father. These portraits to be exhibited as well is because it gives onlookers a more rounded understanding of these artists.
The exhibit, which is officially called the “Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection,” opened this year on Feb. 19 and will close June 5. Tickets can be reserved for the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and are scheduled with 15 minute check-in windows. The tickets include the Frida Kahlo exhibit as well as the General Admission exhibit which has artworks from the Baroque time period. The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays and open the rest of the week 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Diego Rivera’s portrait of Natalia Gelman. Kahlo and Rivera were known to have an open relationship, and this included Rivera and Gelman having a romantic relationship during that time.
One of Frida Kahlo’s well-known pieces, “Diego on My Mind,” is used as a large advertisement on the sides of the Portland Art Museum.
Frida Kahlo’s portrait of Natalia Gelman, a friend of Kahlo’s and Diego Rivera. The exhibit is named after Gelman and her husband as “Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection.”

Photos by Avery Leon-Castillo

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