Two Mexican art exhibits are bringing balmy breezes to the Seacoast, reminding us of warmer climates. “Frida Kahlo: Images of an Icon” is on display in the Lamont Gallery at Philips Exeter Academy, while “Lola Alvarez Bravo” can be viewed at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine. The exhibits, which both portray the lives of Mexican female artists, were not planned by either curator to coincide. The conjunction of these two shows provides an unexpected opportunity to get an in-depth look at the relationship between these two important artists, as well as a taste of life in 20th century Mexico.

Kahlo, who died in 1954, created wonderfully dramatic autobiographical paintings—and an equally dramatic persona for herself. She wore colorful, traditional Mexican dresses with chunky jewelry covering her fingers, neck and ears. Her hair was often fashioned into a neatly ornate braid on the top of her head, sometimes with scarves or flowers woven into it. But, even without all of her favored accessories, Kahlo was a strikingly beautiful woman. Photographers described her as a “fascinating subject,” and Kahlo must have agreed, because the majority of her works are self-portraits. 

Kahlo was the most frequently photographed woman in 20th century Mexico. The purpose of the show in Exeter is to illustrate her fascinating life. Karen Burgess Smith, director of the Lamont Gallery, described the show as being “about artists documenting this incredible woman through photography. It gives our students and the community a chance to know Frida as more than just a woman with a uni-brow,” she said.

Over the past decade, the general public has fallen deeper in love with Kahlo, particularly after the release of the 2002 major motion picture “Frida,” which illustrated the artist’s life and starred Hollywood hottie Selma Hayak. The film portrayed Kahlo as an intriguing woman of strength and beauty and solidified her stance as an iconic figure.

Many people can respect and relate to the tribulations of her life, from her contraction of polio as a child to the early loss of her mother to surviving a horrible accident that broke her pelvis and spinal column, causing her to lose the ability to bear children and confining her to a back brace for the better part of her life. She was married to arguably the most famous and influential Mexican artist of the 20th century, Diego Rivera, who was also a hopeless womanizer. Against all odds, Kahlo worked around these obstacles to create artwork that reflected modern Mexico in a consistently unique painting style. She was not afraid to use bold and confrontational imagery. She painted from her heart with raw emotion and confronted stereotypes of women and of art. 

The exhibit at the Lamont Gallery consists entirely of photos taken of Kahlo in the early- to mid-20th century. The images intimately depict the peaceful facets of Kahlo’s life: her playful side—winking to the camera; her artistic side—surrounded by self-portraits in her studio; and her loving side—stealing a kiss from Diego Rivera. The exhibition also exposes Kahlo painting from her bed after her health declined. At other times, she is portrayed as a benevolent nurturing figure, often pictured with her many animals. The photographs in the show were taken by a medley of dear friends, family members and famous photographers of the time. The show even includes a photo taken by Rivera.

Another photographer featured at the Lamont Gallery is Lola Alvarez Bravo, who, by happy coincidence, is also the featured photographer in a solo exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art. Entering the terra cotta-colored world of this exhibition is like stepping into the warm dry air of Mexico after a long flight from Portland, Maine. Bravo reveals the core of everyday Mexican life and culture through her photographic portraits of the people and landscapes of her home country. Like Kahlo, Bravo was married to an important Mexican artist, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, who has been regarded as Mexico’s leading modernist photographer of his time. She learned her way around the darkroom from her husband, but continued to experiment and grow as a photographer even after their separation. 

Initially known as a portraitist, Bravo was eventually appointed to the position of Chief Photographer of the National Institute of Fine Art and Literature in Mexico. For 30 years, she traveled the country, visiting places like Oaxaca, Vera Cruz, Acapulco, Mexico City and beyond, documenting the surroundings and people. These journeys yielded many of Bravo’s favorite photographs, which she saved for her own portfolio. Many of the images on view at the Portland Museum of Art are her own selections. 

Included among these favorite photos are portraits of both Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, whom she met after the Mexican Revolution that stretched from 1910 to 1920. Kahlo and Bravo developed a friendship because of their shared interest in molding Mexico’s new artistic identity to suit post-revolutionary Mexico. In 1951, Bravo opened her own art gallery and, in 1953, featured Kahlo in her first and only one-woman show, just months before Kahlo’s death.

Bravo was also interested in film. She was in the middle of creating a film in which Kahlo played a major role when the latter’s health began to seriously decline, thus ending her participation in the project. Her parts in the film can be seen in the exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art. 

Bravo’s photographs focus on the drama and beauty of everyday activities. Her photographs demonstrate a unique atmosphere that reflects the traditions of her country, seeking new visions of seemingly mundane tasks. The portfolio of her work consequently forms a photographic documentation of post-revolutionary Mexico, from the artists who helped form its artistic culture—like Kahlo, Rivera and her husband—to the many unidentified men and woman who also lived out their lives during these tumultuous times.      

“Frida Kahlo: Images of an Icon” will remain on display through March 5, at the Lamont Gallery at 20 Main St., Exeter, free. The gallery is open on Mondays from 1 to 5 p.m., and Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
“Lola Alvarez Bravo” will be up through March 16 at the Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland, Maine. The Museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free from 5 to 9 p.m.

There will be a gallery talk called “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets” by docent Janet Richardson, held from 2 to 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23. The event is free with admission. On Thursday, Feb. 28, there will be a Mexican Fiesta in the Great Hall of the Museum from 6 to 8 p.m., where there will be Mexican food, a mariachi band and a cash bar serving margaritas. The Fiesta is $15, $10 for members.