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Deenihan Opens Photographic Exhibition of Iconic Mexican Artists

Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will today, Wednesday 7 November 2012 officially open Complicities, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, a photographic exhibition inspired by the iconic Mexican artists in the Cowshed Gallery, Farmleigh Estate, Castleknock, Dublin 15.

Complicities

showcases 36 photographs that highlight the shared interests of Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera. The exhibition displays the couple's often tempestuous love life, their political actions, labour struggles and also their hugely influential contribution to Mexican art.

Commenting on the opening, Minister Deenihan said "This wonderful exhibition takes us through some of the most important political events which occurred in Mexico in the first half of the 20th Century. The photographs exhibited here give us a thrilling insight into the lives of Kahlo and Rivera throughout their various causes. Kahlo and Rivera were inextricably bound to their country's fabric – at times their personal shared experiences ran parallel to and were directly affected by the national upheaval around them"

While both artists are widely acknowledged as a truly visionary and talented artistic couple, they were also hugely respected individual artists in their own right. Frida Kahlo began painting after she was seriously injured in a bus crash and went on to become one of Mexico's greatest artists, best known for her striking self portraits and her Surrealist paintings. Diego Rivera became one of the leaders of the Mexican Mural Renaissance, receiving commissions for murals in public buildings from the Mexican government.

Minister Deenihan continued "The Mexican Embassy's commitment to supporting Art in Ireland is clear. I want to commend them for the proactive manner in which they are celebrating and promoting culture."