Two New Books Illuminate Mexican Modernism and Frida Kahlo

Two books published by Flammarion offer complementary perspectives on Mexican modernism. Serge Fauchereau's 'Les Peintres mexicains, 1910-1960' surveys the muralist movement, arguing that its importance rivals Cubism and Abstract Expressionism. The book traces the assimilation of European modernism without abandoning figuration, and the political engagement that achieved popular resonance. Fauchereau covers the 'three greats'—Orozco, Siqueiros, Rivera—and the 'fourth great' Rufino Tamayo, as well as figures like Maria Izquierdo and Frida Kahlo. He discusses the role of José Vasconcelos in commissioning murals, the influence of José Guadalupe Posada's prints, and the political upheavals that drove artists abroad. The book ends with the Ruptura generation led by Mathias Goeritz. Simultaneously, Hayden Herrera's 'Frida, une biographie de Frida Kahlo' (previously published by Anne Carrière) is a comprehensive biography that demystifies Kahlo, presenting her as a foul-mouthed, knowledgeable painter who rejected Surrealism yet used André Breton's support. Herrera offers detailed formal analysis, noting the realistic depiction of blood in Kahlo's small-scale works. The books coincide with the exhibition 'Frida Kahlo / Diego Rivera, l'art en fusion' at the Musée de l'Orangerie, open until January 13.