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Frida and Me

Print
1990 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Miriam Schapiro (born Canada, 1923) is a major figure in the history of feminist art. She often uses images which suggest female activities and crafts, and references the work of earlier women artists in her own. Her works are extremely ornate and decorative (qualities which are often condemned in art but which are found in many of the textile crafts associated with "women's work"). The word Schapiro invented to describe her medium was "femmage", using this to refer to the combination of paint and fabric in compositions with a theme or meaning that pertained to women, and taking her imagery and icons primarily from the women's sphere of culture and life: quilts, houses, clothing, fans. Her collaborative artworks are made in this vein: she 'collaborates' with the work of female artists. Such works serve two purposes for Schapiro: they allow her to pay homage to artists whose legacy she wants to preserve, and they provide her with a framework for her own artistic agenda.

Frida and Me is a multilayered portrait of the artist Frida Kahlo (1907-54; famous for her self-portraits) with Kahlo's features melded with those of Schapiro. The image various processes and print media to achieve a rich tapestry-like effect.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleFrida and Me (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Lithograph with chine collé and collage
Brief description
Print, Frida and Me, lithograph with chine collé and collage, Miriam Schapiro, 1990
Physical description
Print, brightly coloured image of the artist Frida Kahlo, surrounded by flowers, patterns and sculptures of figures.
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 104.8cm
  • Sheet width: 74.9cm
Copy number
25/81
Marks and inscriptions
'25/81 "Frida and Me" Miriam Schapiro 1990'

Note
Edition number; title; signature; date. All in pencil.
Credit line
Given by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of Mindy and Ramon Tüblitz
Object history
The Rutgers Archives for Printmaking Studios was established at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum in 1982 as a repository for prints and supplementary materials relating to an outstanding group of contemporary American printmaking workshops. They commissioned and in some cases published the prints. This print is one of a group purchased over a period of years by Mr and Mrs Ramon Tüblitz, and subsequently donated to the V&A through the American Friends of the V&A. Mr Tüblitz is a Trustee of the Zimmerli Art Museum.
Summary
Miriam Schapiro (born Canada, 1923) is a major figure in the history of feminist art. She often uses images which suggest female activities and crafts, and references the work of earlier women artists in her own. Her works are extremely ornate and decorative (qualities which are often condemned in art but which are found in many of the textile crafts associated with "women's work"). The word Schapiro invented to describe her medium was "femmage", using this to refer to the combination of paint and fabric in compositions with a theme or meaning that pertained to women, and taking her imagery and icons primarily from the women's sphere of culture and life: quilts, houses, clothing, fans. Her collaborative artworks are made in this vein: she 'collaborates' with the work of female artists. Such works serve two purposes for Schapiro: they allow her to pay homage to artists whose legacy she wants to preserve, and they provide her with a framework for her own artistic agenda.

Frida and Me is a multilayered portrait of the artist Frida Kahlo (1907-54; famous for her self-portraits) with Kahlo's features melded with those of Schapiro. The image various processes and print media to achieve a rich tapestry-like effect.
Other number
LOAN:AMERICANFRIENDS.511-2007 - Previous loan number
Collection
Accession number
E.361-2012

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Record createdJune 8, 2009
Record URL
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