Frida Kahlo’s Portrait of Dorothy Hale: Dreams, Dramas, and Revelations

Years ago, New York–based writer Myra Bairstow became enthralled by Frida Kahlo’s depiction of the death of Dorothy Hale, a beautiful socialite whose tragic plunge to death in 1938 generated intrigue among wealthy New York society. Writer and playwright Clare Boothe Luce commissioned Kahlo to paint a posthumous portrait of Hale, Luce’s close friend. Intrigued by the story—and by Kahlo’s involvement—Bairstow delved more deeply into the circumstances. The result was an off-Broadway play, The Rise of Dorothy Hale. In conjunction with the special exhibition In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States, Bairstow narrates the saga, illuminating not only Hale’s story but also the story of Kahlo’s own fascination with it and how her portrait figured into the mystery.

Bing Theater | Free, no reservations

Image: Photo is reproduced by the authorization of the Instituto National de Bellas Artes, Mexico City

http://www.lacma.org/event/dorothy-hale