Finding Aid to the Nelleke Nix and Marianne Huber Collection: the Frida Kahlo Papers, 1930-1954 Archives of Women Artists
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Finding Aid to the Nelleke Nix and Marianne Huber Collection: The Frida Kahlo Papers, 1930-1954 Archives of Women Artists Finding Aid Prepared by and Collection Processed by: Jason Stieber (December, 2007) and Jennifer Page, (March, 2012) Betty Boyd Dettre Library & Research Center Email: [email protected] Phone: 202-266-2835 Table of Contents (Click a section title to skip down.) Overview ................................................................................................................................. 1 Administrative Information ............................................................................................... 2 Biographical Note ................................................................................................................ 3 Scope and Content Note ................................................................................................... 6 Organization and Arrangement Information ............................................................... 7 Names and Subject Terms ............................................................................................... 7 Container Inventory ............................................................................................................ 8 Series1: Correspondence ............................................................................................... 8 Series 2: Drawings ......................................................................................................... 21 Series 3: Printed Matter ............................................................................................... 22 Overview Repository Information: National Museum of Women in the Arts, Betty Boyd Dettre Library & Research Center 1250 New York Ave NW Washington, D.C. 20005 Email: [email protected] Phone: 202-783-5000 Title: Nelleke Nix and Marianne Huber Collection: The Frida Kahlo Papers Provenance: The collection was given by Frida Kahlo to Dr. Leo Eloesser, her friend and medical advisor. The date of this transfer is unknown; however, the vintage of the correspondence retained custody of the coll the collection passed to his personal secretary, Ms. Josefa Vera Rodriguez. It remained in her possession until 1996, when it was sold to Nelleke Langhout Nix and Marianne Huber. The collection was appraised by Louis Collins of Seattle, WA in December 2006 and donated by Nelleke Langhout Nix to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in January 2007. Supporting documentation for this custodial history is located in the collection dossier housed in the Library and Research Center. Collection Dates: Inclusive Dates: 1930-1954 Bulk Dates: 1930-1935 Physical Description: 4 boxes (approx. 1.75 linear feet) Summary: Frida Kahlo was a 20th century Mexican painter who is now famous for her striking self- portraits. This collection consists mainly of 369 letters written by or to Kahlo as well as various drawings and printed matter. Page 1 Finding Aid URL: https://nmwa.org/sites/default/files/shared/4.3.4.2-frida_kahlo_papers_1907-1954.pdf Administrative Information Access Information: The collection is open for research use upon appointment. All researchers will be supervised carefully during use of the collection. Photocopies of the collection are prohibited. Researchers wishing to obtain electronic facsimile of any portion of the collection must consult the archivist. Materials are almost entirely in Spanish. Some materials in English, French, and German are also present. Copyright restrictions may apply to any portion of the collection. Banco de Mexico unpublished manuscripts and letters. Preferred Citation: Item, Date, Series, Nelleke Nix and Marianna Huber Collection: The Frida Kahlo Papers, Archives of Women Artists, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Betty Boyd Dettre Library & Research Center. Publication and Photocopies Note: Permission from the National Museum of Women in the Arts required for publication and reproduction of original materials. Photocopies of original materials can be made for a fee and at the discretion of the library director. Processed by: Jennifer Page, March 2012 Jason Stieber, December 2007 Page 2 Processing Note: The collection was received in 14 bound portfolios prepared by the donor, Nelleke Nix, and titled by groups of correspondents or loose series description. The donor had sleeved most of the items in polyester or mylar and had prepared an item-level inventory. The collection was received in excellent condition with minimal folds, fading, or brittleness. Some letters in Series 2 exhibit water damage and bright pink splotches, which seem to indicate active mold; however, closer examination reveals none of the other indicators of mold, such as surface fuzziness or acrid scent. During processing, all items were removed from the portfolios and each leaf was sleeved individually in mylar or polyester to isolate any possible spores. All materials were separated into three series and placed in acid- free folders. The collection is housed in four acid-free manuscript boxes located in the Library and Research Center. The collection was processed in 2007 by Jason Stieber and reprocessed in March 2012 by Jennifer Page. The following monographs were consulted during the preparation of biographical notes, chronology, and box inventory for this guide: Carpenter, Elizabeth, ed., Frida Kahlo. Walker Art Center: Minneapolis, 2007. Dexter, Emma and Tanya Barson, eds., Frida Kahlo. Tate Publishing: London, 2005. Herrera, Hayden, Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo. Harper & Row: New York, 1983. Biographical Note Mexican painter Frida Kahlo was the third of four daughters born to a German Hungarian father and a mother of Spanish and Mexican Indian descent. She did not originally plan to become an artist. At age fifteen Kahlo entered the premedical program at the prestigious National Preparatory School in Mexico City. However, this training ended three years later when Kahlo was gravely injured in a bus accident. She spent more than a year in bed, recovering from fractures of her back, collarbone, ribs, and pelvis, as well as shoulder and foot injuries. Despite more than thirty subsequent operations, Kahlo spent the rest of her life in constant pain, finally succumbing to related complications at age forty-seven. During her recovery from the 1925 bus accident, Kahlo began to paint with oils. Her pictures, mostly self-portraits and still lifes, were deliberately naïve and filled with the bright colors and flattened forms of the Mexican folk art she always loved. At twenty-one, Kahlo met and fell in love with the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, whose approach to art and political activism complemented her own. Although he was twenty years her senior, they were married in 1929. This high-profile relationship survived marital Page 3 France, where she encountered luminaries from the worlds of art and politics. She had her first one-woman exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1938. She was in numerous group exhibitions throughout her life and, just prior to her death, was honored ería de Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City. Chronology 1907 Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón is born on July 6 in Coyoacán, Mexico to Matilde Calderón y González and Guillermo Kahlo. 1914 Kahlo contracts polio and spends nine months in bed. Her right leg and foot are permanently damaged by the illness. 1922 Kahlo begins pre-medical studies at the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria in Mexico City. She is one of only 34 women in the student body. 1925 On September 17, a bus Kahlo is riding is struck by a streetcar. She sustains severe injuries to her spine, pelvis and right foot. She returns home from the hospital in October and begins to paint. 1927 Kahlo joins the Young Communist League. 1928 Kahlo meets Diego Rivera through photographer Tina Modotti. She joins the Mexican Communist Party. 1929 Kahlo and Rivera marry on August 21. 1930 Kahlo becomes pregnant but must abort the pregnancy due to her pelvic injuries. Kahlo and Rivera travel to San Francisco where Rivera has mural commissions at the California School of Fine Arts and the Luncheon Club of the California Stock Exchange. Kahlo meets Dr. Leo Eloesser. 1931 Kahlo and Rivera travel to New York City where the Museum of Modern Art is Bloch. 1932 Kahlo and Rivera travel to Detroit where Rivera has been commissioned to paint a miscarriage Page 4 1933 Kahlo and Rivera travel again to New York City where Rivera has been invited to paint a mural at the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center. After his inclusion withdrawn. Kahlo and Rivera return to Mexico in December. 1934 and her sister Cristina. 1935 Kahlo and Rivera separate briefly but soon reconcile. Kahlo begins affair with American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. 1937 Leon and Natalia Trotsky arrive in Mexico, where they have been granted political asylum at the request of Rivera. Leon Trotsky and Kahlo have a brief affair. Kahlo exhibits four paintings in a group exhibition at the Galería de Arte of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. 1938 Kahlo has her first one-woman exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City in November. Half of the paintings are sold. She meets André Breton. Kahlo begins affair with Hungarian-American photographer Nickolas Muray. 1939 Kahlo travels to Paris to participate in the exhibition Mexique, organized by Marcel Duchamp and André Breton. Kahlo appears on the covers of Coronet and French Vogue -portrait The Frame is purchased by the Louvre. Kahlo and Rivera divorce on November 6. 1940 Kahlo