Palazzo Pepoli is hosting a photography exhibition dedicated to Frida Kahlo

The photography exhibition dedicated to Frida Kahlo has recently opened at Palazzo Pepoli, just a stone’s throw from Galleria Cavour, and will run until 27 September 2026. The exhibition offers an unusual perspective on the famous artist, who is explored here through the eyes of those who knew her intimately – artists and friends – who captured her strength, femininity and creative genius through photographs taken of her in private, public and professional moments.

“Frida Kahlo. The Gaze as Identity” explores the relationship between image and the construction of myth. Among the more than sixty photographs on display, those by some of the most important photographers of the twentieth century, such as Edward Weston, Nicholas Muray and Imogen Cunningham, stand out.

Who was Frida Kahlo really? Where does her real self end and the myth begin? These are the questions the exhibition seems to want to raise in visitors’ minds, guiding them not only through Frida’s life story but also through her pioneering ability to always present herself with authenticity and care through a carefully crafted image which, over time, has become a symbol of courage, tenacity and passion.

It is no coincidence that the painter remains a symbol as beloved and well-known as her works. The mythologisation of her iconography is also captured through the lens of those who were able to experience her up close and, in their own way, have revealed to the world the myriad facets of such a magnetic and complex personality: model daughter, passionate lover, political activist, wounded woman, contemporary icon.

One, none and a hundred thousand: the exhibition aims to restore the artistic and human complexity deserved by a figure who is sometimes oversimplified by popular culture. The exhibition is curated by ONO Arte, which has chosen the Museum of the History of Bologna as the venue for this new artistic event, which tackles one of the most pressing issues in our society today: the role of the individual and of art in the construction of one’s identity.

Ph: Guillermo Kahlo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons