Nickolas Muray (15 February 1892 - 2 November 1965) was a Hungarian-born American photographer and Olympic fencer. Muray attended a graphic arts school in Budapest, where he studied lithography, photoengraving, and photography. In 1913, with the threat of war in Europe, Muray sailed to New York City. Muray quickly became recognized as an important portrait photographer, and his subjects included most of the celebrities of New York City. In 1926, Vanity Fair sent Muray to London, Paris, and Berlin to photograph celebrities, and in 1929 hired him to photograph movie stars in Hollywood. He also did fashion and advertising work. Muray's images were published in many other publications, including Vogue, Ladies' Home Journal, and The New York Times. Between 1920 and 1940, Nickolas Muray made over 10,000 portraits. His 1938's portrait of Frida Kaho, made while Kahlo sojourned in New York, attending her exhibit at the Julien Levy Gallery, became the best known and loved portrait made by Muray.
„Portrait of Frida“ Cui Tao click, more about the artist 2009 Oil on canvas 82 x 115 cm Private collection, Beijing, China Currently on loan to the Kunstmuseum Gehrke-Remund, Baden-Baden This oil on canvas painting reproduces a black and white with sepia tones photo of Frida Kahlo taken by her father, Guillermo Kahlo, on February 7th 1926 (7-II-1926). The photo which inspired this painting was taken five months after the almost fatal bus accident Frida Kahlo suffered on September 17th 1925. This “Portrait of Frida” based on such photo shows a 18 year old Frida wearing a Chinese silk dress, sitting in her parents’ sitting room, on her lap lie two books. It seems almost a miracle that Frida recovered so quickly from the accident which almost killed her and left her physically and emotionally marked for life. Beyond the artistic value this painting, has a biographic meaning as it captures a young, serious Frida in the year when she started to paint intensely to express her pain and feelings. The artist is Cui Tao, 44 year old, Chinese artist known in China for his portraits of families during the Cultural Revolution. Cui Tao lives in Beijing since 2004 and has exhibited his works in Da shan zi (798), the most famous art district in Beijing. |