Sunday, January 27, 2008

San Francisco Bay Area artist Rupert Garcia

Rupert Garcia, a renowned San Francisco Bay Area Artist represented by Rena Bransten Gallery has made artwork featuring Frida Kahlo and also presented lectures on her work. In 2004 I had the pleasure of working with Rupert within the Hearts in San Francisco project of which I was Project Coordinator. He designed one of the giant Heart sculptures which was placed in public view during the city-wide exhibition.
If I had known before today that he was so fond of Frida Kahlo I would have spent more time talking with him about his studies on her life and work.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Dr Eloesser's Last Will and Testament

Amazing what you can find on the internet. In a 2007 article discussing the alleged inappropriate use Dr. Eloesser's bequest to a Quaker Charity to benefit medical students the publication AboutPhilly.com has posted a PDF version of Dr. Eloesser's Last Will and Testament. Although there is no mention of Frida or Diego it does give some insight into his personality.

Dr. Leo Eloesser's Last Will and Testament.

The Will was drafted and signed in San Francisco in 1975 and he died in Mexico in 1976 at the age of 95.

The Hoover Institution Papers Contain Frida Kahlo Content

The San Francisco Bay Area is home to Stanford University which houses the Hoover Institution that holds documents related to Frida Kahlo in archive of Bertram David Wolfe and Dr. Leo Eloesser. Both were friends with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

About Wolfe (from Wikipedia) "Bertram David Wolfe (January 19, 1896February 21, 1977) was an American scholar and former Communist best known for writing Three Who Made a Revolution (1948), a biographical study of Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky, and The Fabulous Life of Diego Rivera (ISBN 0-8128-1259-X)." The Wolfe Paper Archives which are the papers were donated by his wife Ella Goldberg Wolfe who donated them when she died on 8 January 2000. Ella was friends with Kahlo and wrote letters.

Link to summary of Wolfe papers

Bert Wolfe paper archives related to Frida Kahlo:
Correspondence 1913 - 1997
[ Folder 55 ]Rivera, Frida Kahlo de, 1933-1946 (8)

Speeches and writing 1914 - 1976
[ Folder 27 ] Frida Kahlo de Rivera (in Spanish), Letras de Mexico, November 1938. Printed copy

Subject file 1903 - 1977
[ Folder 27 ]Rivera, Frida Kahlo

Dr. Eloesser was born in San Francisco in 1881 and Frida was his patient at the San Francisco General Hospital.

Link to summary of Dr. Eloesser's paper which contain content related to Frida Kahlo. Unfortunately no list of content provided on Hoover Institution website.

Website celebrates Frida at 100

A new bilingual Spanish/English website commemorating the 100th anniversary of Frida's birth, July 6 1907, was launched in January 2008 and is a superb resources for information about her life and art.

Excellent photos of Frida in San Francisco.

Visit Frida Kahlo Fans here.

Frida and Dr. Eloesser

Dr. Eloesser, who worked at the San Francisco General Hospital was a lifelong friend of Frida's after she visited San Francisco in her...