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CLEVE CARNEY MUSEUM OF ART AND THE MCANINCH ARTS CENTER AT COLLEGE OF DUPAGE TO HOST HISTORIC KAHLO EXHIBITION OPENING JUNE 2021

Works From The Museo Collection Create Largest Presentation of Kahlo’s Work in Chicago Area Since 1978

Glen Ellyn, Ill. — The Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) and the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at the College of DuPage (COD) will host one of the largest private collections of original artwork by in a multifaceted exhibition entitled Frida Kahlo: Timeless. The exhibition, opening June 5 and running through Sept. 6, 2021, will be the most comprehensive presentation of Kahlo’s work displayed in the Chicago area in over 40 years.

The 26-piece collection, on loan from the Museo Dolores Olmedo, features an array of oil paintings and works on paper spanning the life of Kahlo, a Mexican artist foundational to the 20th century art historical canon. Best known for self-portraits highlighting themes of identity, politics, sexuality and death, Kahlo channeled her childhood and personal struggles into her art and became an iconic figure and symbol of female empowerment, individual courage and Mexican pride.

The exhibition includes pivotal pieces created throughout the artist’s life, including 19 oil paintings, representing over one tenth of the total number of Kahlo paintings in existence. Works from Kahlo’s early life follow a period when the artist was left bedridden for months after surviving a life-altering bus accident at the age of 18 and span her lifetime, concluding with a work completed the year of her death.

Alongside the 26 original works, this multifaceted and immersive exhibition features a multimedia timeline with reproductions of Kahlo’s clothing, more than 100 photographic images from the artist’s life, a family-friendly children’s area, and a Frida Kahlo-inspired garden designed by Ball Horticultural Company enabling museum-goers of all ages to grasp an understanding of Kahlo’s life and work through a variety of contexts. The exhibition and related programming is organized by Frida Kahlo: Timeless Executive Director Diana Martinez (Director of the McAninch Arts Center) in collaboration with Justin Witte, Frida Kahlo: Timeless Curator (CCMA Curator).

“Frida was very much a person of the people and this intimate, educational showcase brings works never before seen in the Chicago area to DuPage County,” said Frida Kahlo: Timeless Executive Director and McAninch Arts Center Director Diana Martinez. “This exhibition is one of kind and is not travelling elsewhere. In addition to the 26 original artworks that will be on view, we have developed a historical timeline, display of over 100 photographic images from the artist’s life, a poetry garden and children’s area which enrich the viewing experience. Our setting within a performing arts center and academic institution has provided us with resources not typically available to most museums, enabling us to present work by an iconic historical figure in a new light.”

“The work in this collection maps the arc of Frida Kahlo’s exceptional life and career,” stated Frida Kahlo: Timeless and Cleve Carney Museum of Art Curator Justin Witte. “Frida Kahlo and her work were so interconnected that it is impossible to separate one from the other. That is also why her presence is still strongly felt in every piece in this exhibition. For exhibition visitors to have the opportunity to experience Kahlo’s life and work in the intimate and unique setting of the Cleve Carney Museum of Art will be a once in a lifetime experience.”

Frida Kahlo: Timeless will be on view June 5 – Sept. 6, 2021 during the hours of 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday; and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday. The exhibition is presented by Bank of America and made possible by the support of Ball Horticultural Company, Wight & Company, Nicor, AeroMexico, The National Endowment for the Arts, DuPage Foundation, Illinois Office of Tourism and the College of DuPage Foundation. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Frida2021.org or call 630.942.4000.

Original artworks by Frida Kahlo in Frida Kahlo: Timeless include:

Portrait of Alicia Galant Portrait of Luther Burbank Portrait of Engineer 1927 1931 Eduardo Morillo Safa Oil on canvas Oil on Masonite 1944 Oil on Masonite

The Bus Henry Ford Hospital 1929 1932 1944 Oil on canvas Oil on metal sheet Oil on Masonite

Portrait of Virginia Portrait in Red Cap Flower of Life 1929 1932 1944 Oil on Masonite Colored pencil on paper Oil on Masonite

The Hand (La Mano) Untitled Fantasia 1930 1932 1944 Pencil on paper Lithograph Colored pencil on paper

Nude of Ady Weber A Few Small Nips Self-Portrait with Small 1930 1935 Monkey Charcoal and pencil on paper Oil in metal sheet 1945 Oil on Masonite

Nude of Eva Frederick The deceased Dimas Rosas The Mask (of Madness) 1931 (Dead at age three) 1945 Charcoal and pencil on paper 1937 Oil on canvas Oil on Masonite

Portrait of Lady Cristina Hastings My Nurse and I The Chick 1931 1937 1945 Colored pencil on paper Oil on metal Oil on Masonite

Portrait of Eva Frederick Portrait of Doña Rosita Without Hope 1931 Morillo 1945 Oil on canvas 1944 Oil on Masonite Oil on Masonite

Untitled (corazón, cactus y feto) The Circle Unknown date 1954 Oil on parchment Oil on metal

Frida Kahlo: Timeless has been designed with health and safety as a priority. CCMA and the MAC will implement touchless ticket-taking and timed entry, temperature checks upon arrival and social distancing markers in accordance with CDC regulations. Hand-sanitizing stations and HEPA filters have also been installed throughout the space. Guests must wear a face covering at all times during their visit to Frida Kahlo: Timeless. For more information about COVID-19 precautions, please visit theccma.org/safety-protocols.

About Frida Kahlo: Timeless The exhibition, on view June 5 to Sept. 6, 2021, will be the largest Frida Kahlo exhibition in the Chicago area in more than 40 years, and is hosted by the Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) and the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at the College of DuPage (COD). It will feature a 26-piece collection on loan from the Museo Dolores Olmedo as well as a multimedia timeline, 100+ photographic images from the artist’s life, a family-friendly children’s area and a Frida Kahlo inspired garden designed by Ball Horticultural Company, enabling museum-goers of all ages to grasp an understanding of Kahlo’s life and work through a variety of contexts. The exhibition and related programming are organized by Frida Kahlo: Timeless Executive Director Diana Martinez (Director of the McAninch Arts Center) in collaboration with Justin Witte, Frida Kahlo: Timeless Curator (CCMA Curator). For more information, visit Frida2021.org and on social media @CleveCarneyMuseumofArt.

The exhibition is presented by Bank of America and made possible by the support of Ball Horticultural Company, Wight & Company, Nicor, AeroMexico, The National Endowment for the Arts, DuPage Foundation, Illinois Office of Tourism and the College of DuPage Foundation.

About the Cleve Carney Museum of Art The late Cleve Carney provided a significant legacy gift to establish the Cleve Carney Art Gallery at College of DuPage. The gallery opened in February 2014 with its inaugural exhibition Selections from Cleve Carney’s Art Collection. In fall 2020, the gallery was expanded to a 2,500 square-foot museum. The Cleve Carney Museum of Art is scheduled to open in the summer 2021 with the highly anticipated Frida Kahlo: Timeless exhibition. The museum will maintain the standards set by the American Alliance of Museums. More information can be found at TheCCMA.org and on social media @CleveCarneyMuseumofArt.

About the MAC The McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located at 425 Fawell Blvd., 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 236-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.

The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. Visit AtTheMAC.org or facebook.com/AtTheMAC for more information.

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