Talk | A Ribbon Around a Bomb: Frida Kahlo's Surrealist Encounter

Join us for a talk that reconsiders Frida Kahlo’s relationship with surrealism—suggesting that, even as she refused the label, her fearless exploration of identity, pain, and revolution embodied the true spirit of surrealist revolt.

Dr. Elliott King is co-editor of "Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting," Associate Professor of Art History at Washington and Lee University. Reflecting on André Breton’s enthusiastic encounter with her paintings in 1937, Dr. King will explore whether Kahlo belongs to surrealism by examining how we define the movement: If surrealism is understood narrowly as "melting clocks," bowler hats, and unconscious automatism, Kahlo stands apart. But if we return to surrealism’s revolutionary roots—its commitment to freedom of thought and radical self-expression—Kahlo’s art resonates deeply with those aims.

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You may also like the following events from Virginia Museum of Fine Arts:

• This Sunday, 6th July, 12:00 pm, Open Studio Sunday | Kahlo Creations in Richmond
• Next Wednesday, 9th July, 06:00 pm, Dominion Energy Jazz Café | Debra Dean in Richmond
• Next Thursday, 10th July, 06:30 pm, Talk | Frida’s America: Painting the Political in Richmond

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