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Frida Kahlo Invites A Deeper Examination Of Female Surrealists

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Heather James Fine Art New York

Frida Kahlo you know. Frida Kahlo you love. But what of her contemporaries? What do you know of them?

Likely, precious little.

Imagine knowing Da Vinci, but nothing of Raphael or Michelangelo. Knowing Monet, but nothing of Renoir or Degas.

It’s time you came to know Lenor Fini, Leonora Carrington, Dorothea Tanning and Kahlo’s female Surrealist counterparts. Heather James Fine Art in New York makes the introduction during its exhibit The Female Gaze: Women Surrealists in the Americas and Europe.

“Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) is probably one of the most respected artists in the art world, yet the mainstream remains largely unfamiliar with her work and her contributions to Surrealism and Modern Art,” Montana Alexander, Partner, Heather James Fine Art, New York, said.

An artist like Frida Kahlo’s popular appeal comes from her incredible life story and ability to overcome obstacles. Tanning led a very compelling life as well. I think Tanning’s rise is already happening, due in large part to major museum and gallery exhibitions of her work.”

More than 50 paintings, sculpture, mixed media, and collages spanning from the 1930s to the present by leading female Surrealist artists are on view at Heather James Fine Art, New York, through July 31.

Heather James Fine Art

Fini (1907-1996) is another female artist whose work is trying to fight its way into the historical cannon. Widely successful in her prime during the middle 20th century, her work and reputation, like that of countless other brilliant women, waned when confronted by the systemic sexism which pervaded museum directors and art collectors until recently.

“I love Leonor Fini’s take on Surrealism which involved incorporating Renaissance-style painting and storytelling,” Alexander said. “Many of her works feature extraordinary costumes and all are narrative.”

Fini’s on and off-canvas persona closely aligned with a female artist you will surely be familiar with, Madonna. Madonna featured herself cast in a Fini painting for her 1995 video “Bedtime Story.”

Like the Queen of Pop, Fini was a trendsetter.

“I think her representation of androgyny presents a very interesting point of view,” Alexander said. “While we see and hear expressions of gender neutrality in our contemporary world, her work reflecting this fluidity was so far ahead of its time.”

If Kahlo is your entry point to Surrealism, you will find her work included in The Female Gaze as well as Di Donna Galleries' Surrealism in Mexico exhibit on view through June 28.

Kahlo continues to be one of the hottest subjects for museum exhibits in 2019, more than 60 years after her death. Shows have recently wrapped up, are underway or upcoming featuring her work in Brooklyn, Boston, Nashville and Orlando.

© 2019 Bancode México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

The attention for Kahlo has been trickling down to the other female Surrealists.

“What follows institutional exposure is market awareness; collectors have already been snatching up works by Tanning–also Fini and Carrington (1917-2011)–at high prices at auction and privately,” Montana said. “The growing collective visibility of female artists and our understanding of how their important work contributed to various movements are part of the re-envisioning of art history going on today.”

You’ll find Di Donna Galleries less than a mile south of Heather James Fine Art on the east side of Central Park mere blocks from both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Frick Collection if you’re after a jammed packed day of great art in the big city.

Once the galleries and museums close, a 20-minute stroll around the south end of Central Park takes you to The Shops at Columbus Circle. Through the month of June, the retail destination celebrates WorldPride NYC and honors the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising by featuring a one-of-a-kind #Lovewall installation from the artist JGoldcrown.

The colorful, joyous, 10-foot square, spray paint on canvas work can be found on the ground floor of The Shops at Columbus Circle, as can complimentary pins of the artwork while supplies last.