One of the important events was the 2018 exhibition at London’s V&A gallery: Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up. This presented an extraordinary collection of personal artefacts and clothing belonging to Frida. Locked away for 50 years after her death, this was the first exhibition of this collection outside Mexico. At our talk on 18 July, you will hear from Dr Circe Henestrosa, the exhibition’s curator, and from the former head of V&A exhibitions, Linda Lloyd Jones MBE, about how this remarkable exhibition came about.

They will explain, with wonderful illustrations, how it became possible to mount this exhibition in London and why the V&A was a suitable venue even though it might not be thought of as a natural setting for a fine art exhibition. The exhibition brought together stunning textiles, fashion, art and design. It lit the flame to reignite the world’s huge and ongoing interest in Frida Kahlo.

This interest continues with next year’s major exhibition at the Tate Modern which will showcase over 130 works introducing her ‘many selves’ – dedicated wife, intellectual, modern artist and political activist.

At the age of 18, Frida Kahlo suffered a terrible bus accident which transformed her life for ever, leaving her severely disabled and immobilized for protracted periods. Our talk will explore Frida’s art and flamboyant Mexican dresses inspired by her sense of cultural pride following the Mexican revolution (1910-1920). An enthusiastic desire to embrace a national identity promoted her profound interest in the art and tradition of indigenous people. Kahlo used her striking appearance as a political statement, crafting her identity to reflect her own mestizo (mixed-race) values.

Join us for this truly fascinating event, followed by a glass of wine. You can then go on to the guitar recital by Morgan Szymanski at the National Gallery at 7pm which accompanies the ongoing José María Velasco exhibition. (To book for the recital go to https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events/friday-lates-music-morgan-szymanski-sounds-of-mexico-18-07-2025 .)

NOTE: The event is in the Parish Hall of the church which is at the rear of the church building.

Circe Henestrosa is a fashion curator and the head of the School of Fashion at the LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore. She curated the exhibition Appearances Can Be Deceiving: The Dresses of Frida Kahlo (2012) at the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico and co-curated the blockbuster exhibition Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up (2018) at the V&A Museum in London. Her publications include: Frida Kahlo Making Her Self Up, Frida Kahlo and San Francisco, Frida by Ishiuchi.

Linda Lloyd-Jones was Head of Exhibitions and Loans at the V&A for 30 years – an unsung and under-recognised heroine of the V&A’s long rejuvenation. When she arrived, there were no big exhibitions – they had been axed to focus on the display of the permanent collection. There were only about 800,000 visitors a year (now nearer 4 million). She is described as working ‘quietly, invisibly and tirelessly’ to put big popular exhibitions at the heart of the V&A’s public programme.