The Artistically Paralleled Lives of Dorothy Hale and Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo and Dorothy Hale Were Both Married to Artists That Profoundly Contributed to the Revival of Fresco Painting: Diego Rivera and Gardner Hale

Diego Rivera (1886 - 1957) needs no introduction. He is considered one of the greatest Mexican artist of the 20th century, along with his extraordinary wife Frida Kahlo. Among Rivera’s many contributions to the international art world is his work in fresco painting. Fresco consists of painting on fresh plaster with colors ground in water only. At an early age, Rivera studied painting throughout Europe and was inspired by the Renaissance Frescoes of Italy. He chose this demanding and difficult medium which allowed him to express his passion for history, politics and humanity in a grand scale with murals for the public.

Gardner Hale

In the late 1920s, Chicago-born Gardner Gale (1894 -1931) would not have needed an introduction. He was considered one of the youngest and foremost painters in the revival of fresco painting in America. Married to Dorothy Donovan Hale, Gardner was also known for his portrait paintings and unique interior designs. Tragically, Gardner Hale died at age 37 on December 28, 1931 in an automobile accident. Gardner and Dorothy were temporarily living in California because he had been commissioned to paint several murals throughout the state.

Gardner Hale’s father was the noted professor, William Gardner Hale, who served as the first director of the American School of Classical Studies in Rome. His mother, Harriet Swinburne Hale, was a direct descendent of the poet Swinburne.

Like Diego Rivera, Gardner Hale began painting at an early age. In his youth, Gardner was tutored in Rome due to his father’s work. He also studied in Chicago and at the Academie Julien in Paris.

'Descent from the Cross, In a chapel at Pau, France.

Hale’s work in the medium of fresco was commissioned throughout France, Italy and London, but he insisted on bringing the neglected art of true fresco to America. His famous murals were in the merchants trust building in Chicago, the famous Cloud Club in the Chrysler building in New York City and throughout affluent homes in America.

Jose´ Clemente Orozco, who never personally met Gardner Hale, expressed his deepest respect and appreciation for the young painter’s art upon Hale’s tragic and premature death.

Featured in a 1927 issue of ‘House & Garden’.
"The striking wall decorations of this bathroom are not painted in oils but executed in that great medium of the Renaissance—fresco. The dado is marbleized and finished at the tip to represent a shelf. This delightful bathtub niche is in the Paris residence of Mrs. Selma Lewisohn and was painted by Gardner Hale."

The Hampshire House, NYC, Dorothy Hale's 1938 Residence Immortalized On Canvas By Frida Kahlo

The phrase “Dedicated to Yesterday’s Charm and Today’s Convenience” is etched in stone and hangs proudly by the front entrance of the famed New York City skyscraper the Hampshire House, where Dorothy Hale lived until her untimely death in 1938. It still remains one of the most recognizable and historical landmarks in the Big Apple.

Located at 150 Central Park South, the Hampshire House boasts old-world allure and yesterday’s charm and has been called “home” by many notable socialites and celebrities, including Greta Garbo and Luciano Pavarotti.

On that cold morning of October 21, 1938 Dorothy Hale was found dead on the sidewalk in front of her apartment building at the Hampshire House. Just weeks later, she would be immortalized in Frida Kahlo’s famous painting of her “El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale.”

To this day, the Hampshire House remains one of New York City’s most famous landmarks and sought-after properties due to its locale to Central Park and 5th Avenue.

Was There Really An Engagement Between Harry Hopkins And Dorothy Hale Or Was It A Short-Lived Relationship? Myth Number 6

Harry Hopkins, TIME Magazine July 1938

In July 1938, TIME magazine reported that WPA Administrator Harry Hopkins said “it is nobody’s god damn business” whether he was engaged to Dorothy Donovan Hale. Popular newspapers of the day began reporting on a possible engagement in March, 1938. Even LIFE magazine ran a blurb in its May edition.

The engagement was never confirmed by Harry Hopkins nor by Dorothy Hale. However, when Dorothy died on October 21, 1938 at age thirty-three, it was rumored by her friend Clare Boothe Luce that she committed suicide because Hopkins broke off their relationship. The Donovan family strongly disagreed with Luce and were confused by the many inaccurate statements made by Luce about Dorothy. The niece of Dorothy Hale said the family never accepted Dorothy’s death as a suicide. The Donovan family believed Dorothy broke off the relationship with Harry Hopkins.

Diego Rivera Introduced Frida Kahlo To Clare Luce

Diego Rivera

Even though Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were separated in November of 1938, they still kept in contact. Frida was preparing for her first one-woman exhibition in New York City at the Julien Levy Gallery. Diego suggested she meet Clare Boothe Luce, who was married to Time Magazine founder Henry Luce. Diego gave Frida a letter of introduction to Clare.

In his book, "My Art, My Life," Diego recounted: “I had imagined that Frida would find Mrs. Luce an interesting person to know, but she didn’t take to her at all. She found her cold, brittle and impenetrably defensive.”

Frida would meet Clare at her opening reception at the Levy Gallery on November 1, 1938. This was twelve days after their mutual friend, Dorothy Hale, died. Clare commissioned Frida to paint a portrait of Dorothy. Instead, Frida painted a haunting rendition of Dorothy falling to her death from an apartment window at the Hampshire House on Central Park South.

Clare was outraged and wanted to destroy the painting when she received it. Fortunately, the painting survived some slight overpainting and nearly twenty years in a storage facility. Today, the picture is not only hailed as one of Kahlo’s most brilliant paintings, but it has unraveled a fascinating mystery about the life and death of Dorothy. Perhaps Diego’s words give an interesting insight into why Frida intuitively painted what she felt instead of what she was hired to do by the powerful Clare Luce?

We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Clare Boothe Luce Said Harry Hopkins Broke Off His Relationship With Dorothy Hale--Or Did He? Myth Number Five

FDR and Harry Hopkins

“Those in the know in Washington said that FDR had ordered Harry Hopkins to end his affair with Dorothy, and to marry instead Lou Macy, a close friend of the Roosevelts, which Hopkins did. Most of the gossip columnists made it brutally clear that Dorothy had been jilted.”
Clare Boothe Luce

Dorothy Hale died on October 21, 1938. Harry Hopkins, advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt, did not meet Lou Macy until the 1940s. This was over two years after Dorothy died. Harry Hopkins did eventually marry Lou Macy, but this was long after Dorothy's death.

In her famous interview about Dorothy Hale and the Frida Kahlo painting, Clare Luce insinuated that Dorothy committed suicide because Harry Hopkins broke off their relationship. The family of Dorothy Hale never believed she intended to marry Harry Hopkins. Dorothy’s father thought it was Dorothy who ended the relationship with Hopkins. Interestingly, Dorothy was seeing another man at the time of her death.

Myra Bairstow

info@dorothyhale.com

Quotes and Passages from “Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo” by Hayden Herrera

Frida Kahlo’s Words To Clare Boothe Luce: “ I Hope The Picture Pleased You, I Tried My Best To Do What I Felt.”

I remember finding the letter from Frida Kahlo to Clare Luce in Clare’s archives at the Library of Congress. Frida’s words, “I tried my best to do what I felt” resonated deeply within me. This was pure Frida: authentic, unwavering and visceral.

Had Frida not painted her haunting depiction of Dorothy Hale, I never would have explored the enigmatic life and death of Dorothy. Had Frida painted what she was hired to do by Clare Luce - a beautiful portrait of Dorothy as a gift for the grieving mother - I never would have discovered that Dorothy’s mother was dead at the time of Dorothy’s death and that Clare Luce left disconcerting inaccuracies about Dorothy for history to record.

Frida Kahlo, however, left an eerie liberation for Dorothy Hale by memorializing a story that would one day be uncovered through her painting. It was never my intention to unearth such a provocative and controversial story. But having done so, it is my intention to share this remarkable journey that began when I first saw “El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale” by the extraordinary Frida Kahlo.

Dorothy Hale's "Top-Story" Suite at the Hampshire House. Myth Number Four.

The Hampshire House, NYC
as depicted by Frida Kahlo in
El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale.

In October 1938, Dorothy Hale lived at the Hampshire House located at 150 Central Park South, New York City - as depicted in Frida Kahlo's famous painting.

Clare Boothe Luce stated that Dorothy lived in a ‘top-story’ suite at the Hampshire House. Dorothy did not live in a Penthouse Suite. She rented a studio apartment on the 16th floor.

Quotes and Passages from “Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo” by Hayden Herrera