Marvel at Frida Kahlo’s iconic artwork at the Dali Museum in Florida this Christmas.
Forget Ellen’s group snap at the Oscars, or even Her Majesty’s famous selfie photobomb – the original selfie Queen is coming to The Dalí Museum in St Petersburg, Florida.
Distinguished by her signature flowers, chunky earrings, bold clothing, prominent mono-brow and undisguised moustache, 20th century portrait artist Frida Kahlo was so familiar with being in front of the camera and painting herself that it can be argued she was the pioneering force behind the selfie craze that has engulfed the 21st century.
‘Frida Kahlo at The Dalí’ will be Florida’s first solo exhibition showcasing the extraordinary career and life of Kahlo. Consisting of 60 iconic paintings, drawings and personal photographs, the exhibition is set to open to the public on 17 December 2016 and continue through to 17 April 2017.
Making the most of St. Pete’s average of 361 days of sunshine per year, the exhibition will extend outdoors where a special collection of flowers and plants representative of those in Kahlo’s own garden at Casa Azul, her home in Mexico, will grace the grounds of the Dali gardens.
The 20th century artist is one of the world’s most celebrated female artists, recognised for her surreal paintings and self-portraits which continue to influence people and society today. Her work has achieved monumental importance in art and popular culture, combining her love and suffering to create a new sense of beauty. The artist stirred immense public interest as her favourite thing to paint was herself, portraying her personal experiences and deeply harrowing misfortunes for all to see.
Dr Hank Hine, Dalí Museum Executive Director, said: “Much like Dalí, she constructed an eccentric identity through the iconography in her paintings and then dressed and carried herself as the personality she created in her art. Painting by painting, she becomes a heroic figure of struggle and perseverance.”
The Dali Museum in St. Pete prides itself on hosting works by world-renowned artists, both past and present, including Walt Disney and Ferran Adria. It houses one of only two permanent Dalí collections in the United States, also the largest collection outside of Spain.
For more information about upcoming exhibitions and the artwork in and around St. Pete/Clearwater visit; www.visitstpeteclearwater.com.
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Notes to editors:
Co-organized by The Dalí and the Museo Dolores Olmedo in Mexico City and featuring the Vicente Wolf photographic collection, the exhibition is an intriguing exploration of the life of Kahlo, her striking artwork and her fascinating psyche.
For further press information please contact:
Libby Allan/Katie Raby/Stuart Fyfe
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8930
E: [email protected]
About Visit St. Pete/Clearwater
Visit St. Pete/Clearwater (VSPC) is the official destination marketing organisation of Pinellas County in Florida and covers 26 municipalities in the area.
The region is located on the peninsula on Florida’s west coast, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west and Tampa Bay to the east.
Just 30 minutes from Busch Gardens and 90 minutes from Walt Disney World, the area offers 35 miles of award-winning white-sandy beaches, exotic nature trails, culture and arts.
It is home to independent restaurants, boutique shops and a unique craft beer trail running from Tarpon Springs to Treasure Island showcasing 28 local breweries’ fresh artisanal beer.
Boasting the largest collection of Dali artwork outside of Spain in the Dali Museum, the county has a significant art scene, with walking mural tours, regular exhibitions and the impressive Chihuly Collection of hand-blown glass sculptures.
The destination is renowned for sunshine and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest run of sunshine days, a massive 768.
Clearwater Beach was awarded the number one beach in TripAdvisor’s annual list of 25 Best Beaches in America in 2016. It was the only US beach to make it into TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Beaches in the World at number 20. It also appeared in the Top 10 TripAdvisor’s 2015 Traveller’s Choice Awards and won Florida’s Best Beach Town in 2012 by USA Today.
The state set a new tourism record in 2015 with 105 million visitors.
For more information: www.visitstpeteclearwater.com, www.facebook.com/VisitStPeteClearwaterUK, www.twitter.com/vspc
