Latin American Art, Artists, Artworks, Art Galleries, Museums, Art Community and Art Resources.

Alicia Framis photograph of a naked man spikes traffic

We could have not imagined that the #5 “Pageviews” listing in our traffic report would be a photo of a naked man by Spanish artist Alicia Framis called: “8th June, female models have a day off, Madrid”. We have had Picassos, Diego Riveras, Frida Kahlos, Gabriel Orozcos boost our traffic at any given day and it is expected to see an increase. This one really caught our attention as we were looking at the link trying to imagine what artwork could have been ahead of so many others that you would think of. You must see this image; it is a great photograph. Warning: if images of naked people offend you, do not open the link below.

Alicia Framis’ Photograph

Until Next Time,

Laura Cunningham
Director

Artists, Fine Art, Galleries, General, Pageviews, Photography, Traffic Alicia Framis, artwork, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Gabriel Orozco, listing, naked people, Pageview, photographs, Picasso, traffic, warning

“Latitudes: Maestros Latinoamericanos”

Right before it closed, I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition “Latitudes: Maestros Latinoamericanos” in Mexico City. This exhibition has traveled through Argentina, Spain, Brazil, United States and Mexico. At this time, the Collección FEMSA is participating in the exhibition: “José Clemente Orozco: Pintura y Verdad” in the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City. “Latitudes” displayed modern tendencies of the 20^th Century. There were 41 artworks from great artists such as José Clemente Orozco, Armando Reverón, Rufino Tamayo, Wifredo Lam, Roberto Matta, Antonio Berni, Alfredo Ramos Martinez, José Gurvich, Pedro Figari and many more.

I will describe just a few; one in particular that besides the fact that she might be my favorite female painter, I have a personal attachment from an early age to “Papilla Estelar” by Remedios Varo. Oh! What a beauty! For me, it has a peculiar magic that attracts your soul. Varo’s imagination is overwhelmingly enigmatic.

Other great works in the collection include a Juan O’Gorman “Los Mitos” (The Myths); here the artist establishes political and religious concepts on how humans have betrayed their own species thru the centuries depicting an inferno. 

A very “O’Gorman style” Frida Kahlo called “Mi Vestido Cuelga Aquí” (My Dress Hangs Here). Painted while living in New York City as Diego Rivera was painting a mural in Rockefeller Center, this is her only collage. In a very detailed cityscape, the “tehuana” dress is hanging on a blue ribbon attached to a toilet sitting on top of a column on the left, and a trophy also on top of a column on the right. The painting is filled up with buildings, factories and the Statue of Liberty. A great David Alfaro Siqueiros “Mujer Dormida – La Primavera” (Sleeping Woman – Spring)

And to close this note on a cynetic twist, this is a Luis Tomasello “Atmósfera Cromoplástica” (Chromoplastic Atmosphere) – Detail. This Argentinean artist has a real talent playing with geometric forms and managing color, light and shadows which I find phenomenal.

Until next time,

Laura Cunningham
Director

General Alfonso Michel, Alfredo Ramos Martinez, Ángel Zárraga, Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, Antonio Berni, Armando Morales, Armando Reverón, Carlos Mérida, Cordelia Urueta, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, FEMSA, Fernando Botero, Francisco Matto, Frida Kahlo, Gerardo Murillo (Dr. Atl), Jean Charlot, Joaquín Torres-García, José Clemente Orozco, José Gurvich, Juan O’Gorman, Latitudes, Leonora Carrington, Luis Tomasello, Maestros Latinoamericanos, Oswaldo Guayasamín, Pedro Coronel, Pedro Figari, Remedios Varo, Roberto Matta, Rufino Tamayo, Wifredo Lam

At 10am, the first part of the controversial symposium “Finding Frida” took off. The owners of the Noyola Collection Carlos Noyola and Leticia Hernandez de Noyola started the presentation talking about how they met sharing their love and dedication to art collecting and to their Art and Antiques store located in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. After telling us how proud they are of their children who followed in their steps, they went on to tell us how Frida Kahlo got between them to never let go and how they share a passion for her works like nobody they know. The Noyola’s are here at the Dallas Art Fair to vindicate themselves by corroborating the authenticity of the works of Frida Kahlo which they have gathered throughout the years. They printed a book called “Finding Frida Kahlo”. They are also trying to reassert us by showing a video of how they have obtained validation from several sources including Arturo Garcia Bustos, Arturo Estrada, Chavela Vargas, Rina Lazo and Diego Maria Alvarado Rivera.  

James Oles

After proudly playing the video, they were immediately questioned by James Oles about the documentation supporting the provenance of the works. James Oles is a professor of art history at Wellesley College, curator of Latin American Art and researcher of the Frida Kahlo archives at the Casa Azul Museum in Mexico City. Trying to be as unbiased as possible, I really wanted for the Noyola’s to prove their point. Who doesn’t want this collection to be authentic? Nobody. But there are very valid issues that overcloud the provenance and authenticity of the collection. Followed by James Oles was Mary Ann Martin. Mary Ann Martin is the owner and director of Mary Ann Martin Fine Art in New York City and she is one of the leading dealers of Latin American Art in the United States. She was asking the Noyola’s about how in the 90’s, they mentioned the source of the provenance of the collection to one newspaper as being from Manuel Marque and later on they told a different newspaper that the source was Abraham Jimenez Lopez. The question confused the Noyola’s; they seemed unorganized and struggled to answer the question as though they did not understand it. Their advisor Jed Paradies came into their rescue only to be shut down by moderator Jason Edward Kaufman pointing out the uncertainty of their rationale of where the artworks ultimately come from. After the symposium, we walked into the salon where 56 pieces from the Noyola collection were exhibited. Within 15 minutes, there were basically two groups; one consisting of the Noyola’s explaining why the collection is authentic and where they got it from and the arguments to prove their claims.

Dr. Salomon Grimberg

The other group gathered first around Dr. Salomon Grimberg who is the co-author of the Frida Kahlo catalog raisonné “Frida Kahlo, Das Gesamtwerk” and one of the leading experts of her work. Later on, another group gathered around James Oles who was absolutely certain that mostly every piece they were showing was a fake. Oles pointed out how the flag that reads “Viva Trosky” was misspelled (Trotsky is the correct spelling) and how the fact that the Noyola’s obtained 1200 works; 40+ original paintings that no Frida Kahlo nor any Latin American Art expert had ever seen or heard about. These details raised most of his claims. Finding Frida part II comes tomorrow. We will be there and I cannot wait to write about it. 

Until tomorrow,

Laura Cunningham

Director

Art Fairs, Artists, Exhibitions, Fine Art, Galleries, General Abraham Jimenez Lopez, Art and Antiques, Arturo Estrada, Arturo Garcia Bustos, Carlos Noyola, Casa Azul Museum, Chavela Vargas, curator of Latin American Art, Dallas Art Fair, Das Gesamtwerk, Diego Maria Alvarado Rivera, Dr. Salomon Grimberg, Finding Frida, Finding Frida Kahlo, Frida Kahlo, James Oles, Jason Edward Kaufman, Latin American Art expert, Laura Cunningham Director of LatinAmericanArt.com, Leticia Hernandez de Noyola, Manuel Marque, Mary Ann Martin, Noyola Collection, researcher of the Frida Kahlo, Rina Lazo, San Miguel de Allende, symposium, Trotsky, Wellesley College