Frida Kahlo At Home by Suzanne Barbezat
Frida Kahlo at Home explores the influence of Mexican culture and tradition, La Casa Azul and other places Frida Kahlo called home, on her life and work.
La Casa Azul, now one of the most visited museums in Mexico City, was the artist’s birthplace and the home where she grew up, lived with her husband Diego Rivera for a number of years, and also where she died. She spent long periods of time in the house convalescing, first when she contracted polio as a young child and again at the age of 18 after a trolley accident left her badly injured. Confined to her bed and in constant pain and discomfort, she began to paint as a way to occupy her time. She developed a distinctive style that drew on the symbols and forms of Mexican folk art and religious art. After marrying Rivera, Frida moved out of the Blue House, living in Mexico and abroad, moving for a brief time to the United States, and upon her return, for a few years in a pair of home-studios designed by Mexican architect Juan O’Gorman, before eventually returning to her childhood home.
Fully illustrated, the book features Frida’s paintings together with archive images and family photographs, objects and artefacts she collected and photographs of the surrounding landscape to provide an insight into how these places shaped this much-loved artist and how the homes and landscapes of her life relate to her work.
Format: Hardback, 176 Pages
ISBN: 9780711237322
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Release date: October 27, 2016
Press
An Artnet Favourite Art Book of 2016: “In this beautifully illustrated and thoughtful book, Suzanne Barbezat, an Oaxaca-based travel writer, teacher, and tour guide, explores the famous Casa Azul. Along with a plethora of images of [Kahlo’s] paintings, the book features archive images, family photographs, objects, and artifacts from her personal collection as well as photos of the surrounding landscape, all of which offer insight into how these places shaped her work and vision.” – Eileen Kinsella, Artnet
“This autumn, a new book published by Frances Lincoln celebrates the profound pleasure Kahlo took in arranging and organising her various homes throughout the course of her 47 years; Frida Kahlo at Home is a voluptuous celebration of the life and work of the artist, viewed through the prism of her various residences. In its pages, decorative artworks become a highly curated archive, and the development and use of different rooms a biographical progression.” – Maisie Skidmore, AnOther Magazine
“This is a new spin on Frida Kahlo – a look at the influence of Mexican culture and landscape, her beautiful homes and places she travelled to. It’s a visual feast with Frida’s paintings plus archival photographs of her life, and Mexico at the time. “Frida made the Blue House her sanctuary, transforming her childhood home into a work of art,” writes Barbezat. In this book we get a sense of the struggles but also the joys of Frida’s life, plus a glorious insight into her work.” – The Australian Women’s Weekly
“In this beautiful new book, which includes dozens of color prints (many full-page and some double-page spreads), Mexican travel writer Barbezat explores “the influence of Mexican culture and tradition, the Blue House, and other places Frida travelled to and called home, on her life and work.” VERDICT The many people who are already fascinated with Kahlo will glean further understanding of her art and experience from this fresh study, while general readers will gain a deeper appreciation of the artist.” – Marcia G. Welsh, Dartmouth Coll. Lib., Hanover, NH, Library Journal
“Barbezat’s writing is fluid and enchanting, pulling you through Frida’s stories of life and love in relation to the different homes in which she lived. While full of facts (Barbezat has clearly conducted deep research) it never feels staid or boring, both due to the writing and the simple reason that Frida’s life was full of high drama and intrigue.” – Susannah Rigg, Mexico Retold
“[Frida Kahlo at Home] touches on the artist’s relationship with Diego Rivera, her time in San Francisco, her injuries and the political circumstances of the day, but it also centres on the living spaces and homes of Kahlo’s life. This, I think, is a fantastic glimpse into the life of one of the best-known female artists to date.” – Sonya Gellert, Shelf Esteem
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