Fridamania

[Now oft-pinned in the 21st century, Frida Kahlo.]

[Detail: Mid-20th-century Mexican embroidery. Collection of The Met.]

[20th-century Mexican Huipil. Cotton and silk. Collection of The Met.]

I've been looking back at stylist Sibella Court's lush nod to artist Frida Kahlo. Not that the fiercely independent Kahlo's diminutive yet complex paintings and personal style haven't long been a source of inspiration for many designers, stylists and other creatives -- even more so since Salma Hayek's 2002 portrayal -- but Court really emphasized the painter's interest in Mexican folk textiles as well as her local flora and fauna.

[Sibella Court channels the artist in the Mexican-related chapter of her book, Nomad. Photos by Chris Court.] 

Revisiting the Mexican section in Court's book along with the PBS microsite for The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo (plus searching for Mexican embroidery) are just some of the random ways I'm gearing up for the latest Frida-related show. On Valentine's Day, Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting opens at the High. The Atlanta museum will be the only U.S. venue for this exhibition, which is coming here following it's run at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

[Nickolas Murray photo on Vogue Mexico cover, November 2012. Via Conde Nast]

Including more than 60 photographs of the couple and over 80 of their paintings and works on paper, this show delves into the ways their turbulent relationship as well as homeland, post-revolutionary Mexico, influenced their careers (or vice versa).

[Salma Hayek in the 2002 film, Frida via...]

In case you missed it, the Museo Frida Kahlo recently uncovered a trove of the artist's iconic clothes, shoes and other personal items -- I believe 300 pieces in all -- hidden away at the famous Casa Azul. Partnering with Vogue Mexico, the museum organized Appearances Can Be Deceiving: The Dresses of Frida Kahlo. See related video here. Other past Frida fashion and textile exhibitions are mentioned here. And there's a podcast with Frida biographer, Hayden Herrera, here.

I think all the details of the High's Valentine's night event (complete with Frida impersonators as you can see) are legible above, but for more info or to get tickets, click here.