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Year-End 2018 MMoCA Newsletter

Exhibitions by Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Joel Shapiro, the Chicago Imagists, and Frida Kahlo.

Exhibitions by Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Joel Shapiro, the Chicago Imagists, and Frida Kahlo.

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FRIDA KAHLO: PITAHAYAS<br />

Imprint Gallery • On view through Feb 3, 2019<br />

The title of the artwork, Pitahayas, refers to the five, bright, pink fruit in the center of the composition. The work<br />

is painted on metal in the style of an ex-voto—a small devotional painting on tin in the Mexican folk art tradition<br />

typically commissioned by a person giving thanks to a saint or divine entity after experiencing tragedy. The walls<br />

of Kahlo’s home and studio were covered with hundreds of these devotional paintings. As such, Pitahayas can be<br />

read as a personal allusion to her rise from tragedy that culminates in immense gratitude for her life and successful<br />

artistic career. The painting evolved over time. In 1939, she learned her husband, artist Diego Rivera, wanted a<br />

divorce, and Kahlo changed the expression of the skeleton in the painting from a smile to a frown.<br />

Included in the exhibition is a digital experience that shares information about the significance of the painting’s<br />

imagery and the story of how this artwork came to the museum. <strong>MMoCA</strong> is a partner in Faces of Frida, a digital<br />

art project organized by Google Arts & Culture that is dedicated to commemorating the life and legacy of Kahlo.<br />

<strong>MMoCA</strong> is one of more than 30 cultural institutions, from seven countries, contributing to this project.<br />

Generous funding for Imprint Gallery programming has been provided by Willy Haeberli in memory of Gabriele<br />

Haberland.<br />

YOUNG AT ART<br />

State Street Gallery<br />

Mar 16–Apr 21, 2019<br />

<strong>MMoCA</strong> Opening<br />

Sunday, Mar 17 • 3–4:30 PM<br />

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