Frida in frame

When imagining the relationship between artist Frida Kahlo and photographer Nickolas Muray, you can almost hear plates breaking. Muray, a groundbreaking commercial photographer whose photographs of Kahlo go on exhibit Saturday at the FAC Modern, was married four times and was a two-time member of the U.S. Olympic Fencing Team.

Kahlo was one-half of one of the 20th century’s more famously tempestuous marriages — with Mexican muralist Diego Rivera — and had a string of lovers, both male and female, allegedly including Leon Trotsky.

Muray and Kahlo’s affair had all the makings for high drama, right?

No, says Tariana Navas-Nieves, who curated the Fine Arts Center exhibit.

“It was a very sweet relationship,” she says. “It was a true friendship. Nickolas provided her with patience and understanding during a difficult period of her life.”

Nearly every period of Kahlo’s life was difficult. At age 6, she contracted polio. At age 18, a horrific trolley accident fractured her spine, collarbone, ribs, pelvis, leg and foot, leaving her in pain for the rest of her life.

She developed her painting while convalescing, choosing the subject closest at hand — herself — to create some of her era’s most harrowingly personal art.

These photographs date from around 1939 to 1941, a time when Kahlo divorced and then remarried Rivera — after which the disappointed Muray ended their affair.

“The affair was intense for 10 years, but they were friends for the rest of her life,” said Navas-Nieves.

While Kahlo’s name will draw people to the gallery, Navas-Nieves says they’ll stay for Muray’s artistry.

“He is a great photographer on his own,” she said. “He was an innovator,” pioneering color in commercial photography.

The combination of Muray’s skill and his closeness to Kahlo enabled him to bring out more sides of her personality, Navas-Nieves said.

“On the one hand, there’s the famous portrait photographer,” she said. “The color is vibrant and painterly. Today, we take these things for granted, but at the time it was new.”

The approach was also perfect for Kahlo: “She was very much about color,” Navas-Nieves said. “And she knew how to handle the camera. Her father was a professional photographer.”

But the other pictures — snapshots — capture something more intimate.

“They’re truly candid,” Navas-Nieves said. “In the snapshots, you see the vulnerable side, the quiet side.”

In conjunction with the exhibit, Kimball’s Twin Peak Theater will host two screenings of “Frida,” the 2002 movie about Kahlo that earned Salma Hayek an Oscar nomination.

Sunday’s screening will feature a buffet from the Metropolitain, and Tuesday’s will feature a talk by Navas-Nieves.

details

“FRIDA KAHLO THROUGH THE LENS OF NICKOLAS MURAY”

When: Opening 6-9 p.m. Saturday; regular hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays; through Sept. 30

Where: FAC Modern, Plaza of the Rockies, 121 S. Tejon St.

Admission: Opening $7.50/free for members; regular admission, $3.75-$7.50, free for members and children 2 and under; 634-5581

Also: Two screenings of “Frida,” starring Salma Hayek

When: Noon reception, 1 p.m. movie Sunday; 6 p.m. lecture by Tariana Navas-Nieves, 7 p.m. movie Tuesday

Where: Kimball’s Twin Peak Theater, 115 E. Pikes Peak

Admission: $7.50 members/$12.50 non-members (Sunday); $5 members/$10 non-members (Tuesday). Includes museum admission.