ISBN 9781568988306
8.5 x 11 inches (21.6 x 27.9 cm), Hardcover, 256 pages
250 color illustrations
Temporarily Out of Stock (publication date 11/1/2009)Rights: World; Carton qty: 10 (-3.225)
$50.00 £32.00
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The Frida Conundrum, Art in America:
"Intended as a surefire best seller..."
— David Ebony (January 2010)
Controversy Surrounds Recent Frida Kahlo Discovery , Accidental Mysteries:
"The book is wonderful. Reading the translated letters by Fridaher cursing Diego, longing for himreveals the kind of relationship the two artists had with each other. Her erotic drawings and others are packed with symbolism and cryptic hints at dual meanings allowing for much interpretation. The design of the book is beautiful, but how could it not be? It was designed by Martin Venezky and his Appetite Engineers design shop in San Francisco. To read the full review on accidentalmysteries.blogspot.com click HERE. "
— John Foster (September 8, 2009)
Fighting Over Frida Kahlo, The Los Angeles Times:
"Brass-knuckles intimidation tactics are clear evidence for what should happen next. The archive, compelling enough for serious further study, needs sunshine -- difficult to find anywhere, but certainly unavailable in official Mexico. The Noyolas have done interesting, basic forensic research and have always been open to any scholar who would like to actually see the archive. They should move it to more neutral ground outside the country... To read the full times article visit The L.A. Times online at this link."
— Christopher Knight (September, 6 2009)
365 A Book A Day, Photo Eye:
"Finding Frida Kahlo presents, for the first time in print, an astonishing lost archive of one of the twentieth century's most revered artists. Hidden from view for over half a century, this richly illustrated, intimate portrait overflows with fascinating details about Kahlo's romances, friendships, and business affairs during a three-decade period, beginning in the 1920s when she was a teenager and ending just before she died in 1954. Full of ardent desires, seething fury, and outrageous humor, Finding Frida Kahlo is a rare glimpse into an exuberant and troubled existence: A vivid diary entry records her sexual encounter with a woman named Doroti; a painted box contains eleven stuffed hummingbirds, concealed beneath a letter in which she laments her discovery that her husband, Diego Rivera, had been monstrously dissecting 'these beautiful creatures' to extract an aphrodisiac; an altered French medical book describes the pain she was suffering from the amputation of her right leg, written by Kahlo upon pages that illustrate an amputation technique; a letter to a friend expresses her loneliness, and a simple request for coconut candies. Frida Kahlo never wrote an autobiography. Instead, she left behind a much more complex material universe. Finding Frida Kahlo offers scholars and fans alike an opportunity to examine firsthand Kahlo's secret world and draw their own conclusions about how she imagined her place in it. "
(December 31, 2009)
Nonfiction Reviews, Publishers Weekly:
"Independent curator Levine (Around the World) encountered a mysterious, important and long-hidden collection of more than 1,200 of what are reputed to be Frida Kahlos personal items in the back room of an antiques store in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. (The Associated Press has reported that the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Trust has charged that the materials in this book are forged. Mexican prosecutors are investigating.) Levine and Jaycox meticulously document the unpacking of the archive from five trunks, suitcases and boxes, and guide readers through the contents with reproductions of letters and diaries, and photos of Kahlos drawings and personal effects. Levine finds it all illuminating, not only regarding Kahlo but also the universally human tendencies that the archive represents. Levines interview with the antiques-store owners recounts their fascinating acquisition of the pieces while the visual exploration focuses on Kahlos impassioned love and hatred for her husband, Diego Rivera, whom she calls an evil fat toad, and her anxiety over her amputated leg, which manifests itself in her obsession with flight (What do I want feet for/ If I have wings to fly). This beautiful book poetically offers a fresh look at one of arts iconic women, and though Kahlo is the protagonist of the project, Levines journey includes us all. (Nov.)"
(October 5, 2009)
The Politics of Kahlo, Heading East:
"I concur with Knight, only serious scholarship will tell the tale and I look forward to seeing how this one plays out... To read the full review on mexicanpictures.com click HERE. "
— Raul Gutierrez (September 9, 2009)
Experts Battle Over the Authenticity of a Frida Kahlo Archive, Artinfo:
"A verbal civil war continues to rage in the Mexican art world as Kahlo experts argue over the authenticity of a once obscure Kahlo archive that will be featured in Finding Frida Kahlo, a book by Barbara Levine due out from Princeton Architectural Press in November. To read the full review on artinfo.com click HERE. "
(September 8, 2009)
The New York Times:
"The Noyolas have collaborated with Barbara Levine, a photography curator in San Miguel de Allende, on a book about the collection of more than 1,200 items, Finding Frida Khalo: Diaries, Letters, Recipes, Notes, Sketches, Stuffed Birds, and Other Newly Discovered Keepsakes (written with Stephen Jaycox and due this fal from Princeton Architectural Press). It shows the clutter that the Noyolas acquired, although the couple now keep the artifacts in neat vitrines and binders in their store, La Buhardilla (the Attic)."
— Eve M. Kahn (June 26, 2009)
Experts Battle Over the Authenticity of a Frida Kahlo Archive, Artinfo:
"Christopher Knight argues in the Los Angeles Times that the dispute can be viewed as an allegory for the complex mixture of academic, financial, and historical interests that become entangled in managing a famous artists legacy. Those who claim the archive is a forgery accuse opponents of exploiting Kahlos popularity. In turn, supporters of authenticity suggest that critics are attempting to protect their own financial and academic interests in Kahlos work by limiting access to what could be new material outside of their control. Mary-Anne Martin, an art dealer who has sold works by Kahlo in the past and has not viewed the collection, is among those who are skeptical of the archives authenticity. If I had to jump on a plane every time somebody made a fake painting, I would never get any work done, she said. To read the full review on artinfo.com click HERE. "
(September 8, 2009)
New Frida Kahlo Book, AnitaNH:
"A new book, Finding Frida Kahlo sounds great. The editorial review on Amazon is fascinating! I learned about it from a cool site called project b which is owned by the book's author, Barbara Levine. She is also a collage artist. My kind of gal! Lot's of circular elements in her work. To read the full review on anitanh.blogspot.com click HERE."
(October 6, 2009)
Extra Curricular, Bookslut:
"Finding Frida Kahlo is a treasure chest of artistic endeavors, a peek into one incredible womans life, and a look at how we preserve our own history... High school and college students who have not fallen under the artists spell are going to sink into this review of her diaries, letters, artwork and clothing (plus so many other magical odds and ends) as if finding a complicated kindred soul... Finding Frida Kahlo could well be life-altering."
— Colleen Mondor (January 2010)
Wilsonart Laminate - The Statement:
"It is a story almost too good to be real: in an antique store in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a curator finds a trove of personal effects from one of the twentieth centurys most beloved artists. In an exquisite new book titled Finding Frida Kahlo, Barbara Levine, the former director of exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, explores a trove of artist Frida Kahlos personal effects; the sort of stuff we throw out. The odds and ends give us more of what we have longed for more images and insight into the life of an artist who built her career on looking at her life. The book itself is a precious and intimate experience. We get to share in Levines experience, carefully opening the chests, suitcase, box and trunk which contained some 1,200 personal items belonging to Kahlo. In turning the pages we feel we are standing beside Levine in La Buhardilla Antiquarios (The Attic Antiques) as she carefully sifts through the material, trying to document, preserve and understand it all."
Finding Frida Kahlo by Barbara Levine and Stephen Jaycox, Mocoloco:
"Finding Frida Kahlo by Barbara Levine and Stephen Jaycox is not necessarily what one might expect. Neither a biography nor document about Kahlo's work, this book is an itemized account of the contents of Kahlo's alleged personal archives, found in an antiques store in Mexico's San Miguel de Allende. Inside an old suitcase, two wooden chests and a box, and a metal trunk are letters, diary pages, stuffed hummingbirds, small pieces of artwork, and a variety of other ephemeral fragments of Frida Kahlo's life. Translations of the notes serve as annotations to the photographs of the contents, whose authenticity is still in dispute. But in some ways this book is more about the very notion of personal archives and collections than the famous Mexican artist. How are we reflected in what we leave behind? To read the full review on mocoloco.com click HERE."
(October 4, 2009)
Extra Curricular, Bookslut:
"I have been fascinated by Frida Kahlo for ages, due equally to her startling art and passionate life. In Finding Frida Kahlo, Barbara Levine quite literally discovers the artist in a bigger way than modern scholars can imagine. Levine is, as she notes in the books introduction, a collector. She has written about this in previous books, and was contemplating a title on her own personal archive when she stumbled upon an apparent cache of Kahlos art, diaries, and other ephemera in an antique store in Mexico. The owners obtained the collection from an intriguing source, and had it surveyed and proven as her work and possessions by acknowledged experts. (Be aware that not everyone agrees on this point, however, and there is an ongoing battle about the collections authenticity. This has brought some backlash to the book, although I think Levine makes her case effectively, and is clear about the ongoing issue of provenance in the text.) Kahlo apparently had a penchant for leaving items with various people in an attempt to make sure her legacy would be preserved. Levine quickly realized that not only were the objects themselves powerful stuff, but the manner in which they had been grouped together was equally significant. With collaborator Stephen Jaycox she set out to photograph and study this new Frida Kahlo archive. Along with her commentary, an extensive interview with the antique shops owners and an overview of Kahlos life and loves, Finding Frida Kahlo is a treasure chest of artistic endeavors, a peek into one incredible womans life, and a look at how we preserve our own history. While I can clearly see Finding Frida Kahlo as irresistible for fans, its oversized full color format is the sort of lush reading experience that makes it appear like the ultimate biography for teens. Kahlo loved Diego Rivera and hated him; she was filled with sorrow and she was euphoric; her friendships were deeply personal, intensely loyal and determined. Can you think of a better teen friendly heroine? High school and college students who have not fallen under the artists spell are going to sink into this review of her diaries, letters, artwork and clothing (plus so many other magical odds and ends) as if finding a complicated kindred soul. After her chatty introduction and interview in the antique store, Levine wisely stands back and lets Kahlo do all the talking. It is her words that narrate the archives display, and her emotion that carries the book forward. This is how you meet Frida Kahlo and fall hard for her near manic determination to love and live, regardless of the turbulent times and traumas she suffered. Levine is always looking for evidence of how we live, and Kahlo was a woman determined to leave a passion-filled record behind. Their meeting is a magical combustible mix, and for teens looking for someone to understand and respect their compelling dramas, Finding Frida Kahlo could well be life-altering. For a few sexy admissions, it remains best for older readers, but they are ones who could best appreciate what Levine and Jaycox discovered in Mexico. There is such more to Frida Kahlo to discover, and while she was never -- not once -- mentioned in a single one of my high school classes, I salute teens who find her on their own, and embrace her as a woman worthy of their time and attention."
— Colleen Mondor (January 2010)
Library Journal:
"As a collector and archivist, Levine (former director of exhibitions, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) is particularly sensitive to the fragments of life one accumulates and how they can be interpreted by others. While sorting out her own life, she happened upon Frida Kahlo's personal archive, a treasure trove that had been lost for decades. This bilingual (English/Spanish) book is a record of her discovery, detailing both the objects themselves and the intimate relationships they evoked in viewers. Each object was photographed as it was unpacked and then returned to its original housing. In a very personal essay, the author charts revelations about this enigmatic artist yielded by the diary entries, recipes, sketches, and letters and a starkly annotated series of images of the techniques used for the amputation of her leg. VERDICT An illuminating find or an odd bit of miscellanea, depending upon the reader's interest in this artist's life, this book unravels for both author and reader the unique experience of a very human activity: storing away the little things by which we identify ourselves."
— Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art (August 19, 2009)
Best Hidden Gems of the Year..., Amazon:
"The recent discovery in a Mexican factory of two trunks full of Frida Kahlos personal artifacts -- carefully curated by Barbara Levine in Finding Frida Khalo -- opens up new perspectives on this endlessly fascinating cultural icon."
(July 7th, 2009)
The Age Magazine (Australia):
"Beautifully documented, Finding Frida Kahlo includes lavish double-page spreads with detailed, translated captions that, for most of us, will be the closest we can get to the material. Despite a scrawled note on a used greeting card - ''I am nothing more than a passing bird. Everything is temporary; nothing lasts'' - Kahlo is destined to be remembered."
— Frances Atkinson (August 14, 2009)
Would this material be interesting if it wasnt Frida Kahlo?, Artslant:
"Thats the rhetorical question the author of a new book posed to the New York Times in a fascinating and still unfolding story concerning Mexicos most famous artist (not counting Kahlos husband, Diego Rivera). The material Barbara Levine refers to is a trove of some 1,200 recently discovered artworks, diaries, letters, and artifacts attributed to Kahlo, which she explores in the newly published Finding Frida Kahlo. Although officials at Princeton Architectural Press say the book states clearly that authentication of the works is still an issue, according to the Times, it is not a central part of the book (let alone its thesis). The story about the discovery has its own fairly-tale-like quality, involving an art and antiques dealer, a reclusive Mexico City lawyer, and a wood carver in the mountain town of San Miguel de Allende. The carver is said to have made frames for Kahlo, who in turn is said to have entrusted to him several trunks and boxes of her possessions. Now the circle of characters has expanded to include a grand-daughter and other relatives of Diego Rivera; a host of Kahlo scholars and art experts (self-appointed and otherwise), including artists who worked with her and Rivera; officials from Kahlos trust; and handwriting and chemical-analysis experts. And, naturally, more lawyers! Theres also a criminal complaint filed in Mexico and attempts to halt the sale of the book in the U.S., not to mention a whole lot at stake, financially and otherwise. (The Walkers presentation of Kahlos 2007-2008 touring retrospective was among the highest-attended exhibitions here). So stay tuned. And since everyones an expert, check out the Times Frida Kahlos or Frauds? slide show and judge for yourself. To read the full review on artslant.com click HERE."
— Julie Caniglia (September 29, 2009)
Mexico and Surrealism and Books to Buy, Open Book Toronto:
"So I'm excited that Barbara Levine's Finding Frida Kahlo has made it possible to connect again with what touched me about the artist in the first place. A lovingly photographed archive of recently discovered personal effects unsent letters, hand-painted boxes, love potions, recipes, sketches, and mash notes alongside gruesome diagrams on amputation and a pile of dessicated hummingbirds the book reveals the woman behind the myth. Levine writes insightfully about how a private archive acts as a splintered, mysterious, and elliptical kind of self portrait."
— Damian Rogers (October 31, 2009)
AUTENTICO (rating 5 out of 5):
ES UN LIBRO ESTUPENDO QUE Mustra LA VIDA DE UNA MUJER LLENA DE VALOR SINCERA CON TODO SENTIMIENTO DIFICIL EN ESA EPOCA ESA ERA FRIDA .LA AUTENTIFICACION YA BASTA DE DEJARLA EN MANOS DE INTERESE DE PODER O DINERO SINO DE AQUELLOS QUE CONVIVIERON CON ELLA SUFRIERON Y RIERON CON ELLA LOS QUE LA CONOCEN Y NO LOS QUE PRESUMEN CONOCER NO ESA OBRA DEBE SE AUTENTICA NO MAS CONTROL DE INTERESE POR LA OBRAS INVESTGUEN COMO ES POSIBLE QUE UNA VENDEDORA DE ARTE QUIER SABER MAS QUE ALGUIEN QUE VIVIO CON ELLA O UNA SECRETARIA NI MEXICANA SE DE EL CACHE DE CONTRARIAR AL LOS FRIDOS ES UNA VERDADERA LOCURA NO PENSADA
- LUIS SCHLOETER from VENEZUELA (11/01/2009)
Authentic (rating 5 out of 5):
(Translation) This is a stupendous book that shows the life of a woman full of worth, sincere with all of the sentiments difficult in that era: that was Frida. The authentication has taken her from the hands of those interested in power or money, leaving her with those who lived with her, suffered and laughed with her, those who know her and not those that presume to know that a work is authentic. No more control in interest for the work? Instead, investigate how it is possible that an art dealer wants to know more than someone who lived with her, or that a secretary who is not even Mexican would give herself the luxury of contradicting 'los Fridos'? This is truly an unheard-of madness
- LUIS SCHLOETER from VENEZUELA (11/01/2009)
