In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women of Mexico and the United States

This is your last weekend to visit In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women of Mexico and the United States at LACMA.  As the first exhibit devoted to women surrealists who worked in Mexico and the U.S., it is definitely worth seeing.  With nearly 50 female artists from around the world, we focused on the Latina women including Frida Kahlo, Rosa Rolanda, and Doris Lindo Lewis.

As women yearned to identify themselves as independent, creative thinkers and escape from the sterile, conventional institutions of church and family, they sought expression through exploitation of their dreams and subconscious.  Surrealism led the way to feminism.

In November, we covered the Miguel Covarrubias exhibit at the California African American Museum in which we saw this highly influential, forward thinking Mexican artist bring his love of the Afro culture inspired by the Harlem Renaissance to life.  In 1930 Miguel married Rosa Rolanda, dancer, choreographer and later surrealist artist.  They traveled the world together including Mexico and Africa.  In later years, Rosa learned of Miguel’s involvement with another woman – younger and a dancer like herself – and the two divorced.  This self-portrait, done in 1952, screams off the canvas with the emotional turmoil that overcame her with the thoughts of losing her husband and her youth.  Like many of Miguel Covarrubias’ paintings, we see a collision of cultures within her portrait – bright colors, movement, and images of dancing – characteristic of the Afro culture, combined with Mexican influences in her clothing and images of skeletons.

Rosa Rolanda was introduced to Miguel’s good friend Diego Rivera who married Frida Kahlo (his second wife).  Rosa and Frida became lifelong friends.  From polio at age six which left her with a crippled leg to a near death accident at the age of 18, which resulted in a broken collarbone, spinal column, leg, foot, ribs and pelvis; and pierced uterus, Kahlo was forever scarred with the inability to have children and haunted by physical pain.  Kahlo endured over 35 surgeries on top of surviving a tumultuous marriage to Rivera.

Alice Rahon from France and a good friend of Kahlo’s painted this portrait in memory of their joyous friendship and the festivities – ferris wheel, riding horses, etc. – that they shared in Paris.

We have covered only a small portion of all of all the beautiful masterpieces from the In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women of Mexico and the United States at LACMA.  The last two days to see this exhibit are today and tomorrow (Sunday) from 11 AM to 8 PM.

For more information on the Los Angeles Museum County of Art visit: http://www.lacma.org.

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