Museum news

5 fascinating works by Frida Kahlo come to DFW for a limited time

Dallas fans of Frida Kahlo will get a rare treat this spring when a local museum displays five privately held works by the renowned Mexican painter. The Dallas Museum of Art will present "Frida Kahlo: Five Works," March 7-June 20.

The showcase will include four paintings and a drawing on loan from a private collection, courtesy of the Galería Arvil in Mexico City. It will run simultaneously with "Devoted: Art and Spirituality in Mexico and New Mexico," featuring works from the DMA’s Latin American collection.

The works in the exhibition will reflect the events and experiences of Kahlo's life (1907-1954), while exploring larger aspects of her artistic practice, the museum says.

"In her lifetime, Kahlo’s work was well-known in artistic circles, particularly in Mexico and the United States," the museum says in a release. "In the years since her death in 1954, her work has garnered ever-increasing critical attention and international praise. Today, her fame is so widespread that she has gone from being simply a celebrated artist, to a global cultural phenomenon."

Pieces on display (with descriptions given by the DMA) include:

The drawing View of New York (1932), which captures the vista from Kahlo’s window at the Barbizon Plaza Hotel, where she and husband Diego Rivera stayed during a segment of their sojourn in the United States.
Diego and Frida 1929-1944(1944), an intimate painting still housed in the original shell-covered frame selected by Kahlo; a personal memento created by the artist to mark her 15-year relationship with Rivera.
Sun and Life (1947), in which Kahlo draws on her extensive knowledge of art and spirituality from throughout history to weave an intense rumination on the cycle of life and death.
Still Life with Parrot and Flag (1951) and Still Life(1951), in which we see Kahlo exploring the potential of a genre that would dominate her final years — the still life. "In both works, Kahlo pushes the boundaries of traditional still-life painting, transforming her assemblages of native Mexican fruits, national symbols, and ancient artifacts into ruminations on her own identity," the DMA says.

“It is always exciting to delve into the works of a dynamic artist like Frida Kahlo,” says Dr. Agustín Arteaga, the DMA’s Eugene McDermott Director, in the release. “This generous loan will offer our visitors a chance to look closely at these five works and explore the many stories they can tell about Kahlo, her remarkable work, and her inspiring life.”

The exhibition is curated by Dr. Mark A. Castro, the Jorge Baldor Curator of Latin American Art. Castro and the DMA’s Painting Conservator Laura Hartman have used non-invasive imaging techniques, such as x-radiography and infrared photography, to get a closer look at three of the paintings and further explore Kahlo's techniques for the public to see.

“At a time when art has become a critical source of solace and inspiration for many of us, this small installation offers a glimpse into the work of one today’s most admired artists,” says Castro.

The exhibition will be included in free general admission to the DMA. A virtual tour will also be available at virtual.DMA.org.

Frida Kahlo, Diego and Frida 1929–1944, 1944

$Frida Kahlo, Diego and Frida 1929 \u2013 1944, 1944$

Photo courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art

Frida Kahlo, Diego and Frida 1929–1944, 1944

museums

Ancient Sculpture News

Fort Worth museum one of only 3 in U.S. to get rare sculpture exhibit

Lorenzo di Masi/Torlonia Collection

The Torlonia Nile

A major exhibition of ancient Roman masterworks is coming to the U.S. for the first time to be viewed at only three museums — including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Called Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection, it's an assemblage of works stewarded by the Torlonia Family beginning in the early-19th century, and will be installed at the Kimbell from September 14, 2025 – January 25, 2026.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to showcase these historical works to the public, the exhibition will premiere at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 15 through June 29, before traveling to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Its third stop will be at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, from March 14 - July 19, 2026.

The Torlonia Collection was established during the course of the 19th century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro, then handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures.

Today, the Torlonia Foundation represents the culmination of the Family’s continued passion for art. Created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017), the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia.

In 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1800-1886) created a museum to house and exhibit the Family’s holdings, which was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. The sculptures remained unseen by the public from that time until the Foundation’s first exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. That was followed by a stint at the Louvre, the first presentation of the collection outside of Rome, where it has drawn more than 600,000 visitors to date, an unprecedented feat.

The exhibit
The curators of Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection are Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum Box. All of the sculptures in the exhibition have been restored by the Foundation with the support of Bvlgari.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue co-published by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, edited by Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, with essays by Silvia Beltrametti and Salvatore Settis.

The North American presentation will feature 58 highlights from the Torlonia Collection, including 24 newly restored works that have not been on view in nearly a century. The sculptures date from approximately the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, with the majority of the works dating to the High Imperial period (1st–2nd centuries CE). Highlights include examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, acquired by the Torlonia Family from the most prominent collections of Rome’s patrician families, as well as from excavations made on the Family’s own estates throughout Italy.

“The Foundation is excited to be sharing the Torlonia Collection with audiences in North America for the first time. This exceptional group of ancient sculptures is a testament to the enduring cultural legacy of ancient Rome, as well as the vision and passion of multiple generations of the Torlonia Family,” said Alessandro Poma Murialdo, President of the Torlonia Foundation.

The presentation is organized thematically in six sections, featuring sculptures found on the Torlonia Family’s properties in Rome and the surrounding suburbs and their estate in Porto, Portugal, as well as a number of exceptional sarcophagi (stone coffins), among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.

The tour reinforces the work of the Foundation to advance the appreciation and understanding of this unparalleled collection and the rich cultural heritage it represents. The Foundation’s mission is carried out through a continuous joint effort between the public and private sectors, including with the cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Culture. The Foundation is supported by a longstanding collaboration with Bvlgari as the principal sponsor of the restoration project since its inception in Rome and throughout the global tour, and Chiomenti, who has lent invaluable support to the Foundation’s core activities.

galleries