Exhibition of the Week
Frida: The Making of an Icon
The great surrealist and self-explorer Frida Kahlo gets a show that emphasizes her influence and posthumous fame. Tate Modern, London, 25 June to 3 January.
Also Showing
John Constable
Open air sketches by the passionate, melancholy observer of nature who was one of Britain's supreme artistic geniuses. British Museum, London, until 4 October.
White Cube at Claydon
Rachel Kneebone, Cerith Wyn Evans, Enrico David and more show amid rococo and Palladian magnificence at this National Trust property. Claydon Park, Buckinghamshire, until 14 September.
The Department of Euterpe
An installation that digs into the fascinating history of Aby Warburg's art institute. Warburg Institute, London, until 3 October.
Aleksandra Kasuba
Summer's here and the time is right for experiencing this Lithuanian-American artist's nature-inspired sculptures and installations at Tate's seaside venue. Tate St Ives, until 4 October.
Image of the Week
Earlier this week, street artist JR transformed Paris's oldest bridge into a giant immersive cave-like artwork called La Caverne du Pont Neuf. The installation includes sounds from Thomas Bangalter, one half of Daft Punk, smells of damp earth from an expert perfumer, and is designed to evoke primeval fears of the dark.
What We Learned
- Gilbert & George have a mystery collaborator.
- What it's like to “eat art” during a Frida Kahlo-inspired meal.
- A new photobook pays tribute to Spain's ineffectual napkins.
- A self-made nude is the star attraction at the Indigenous American Artists exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
- Sculptor Nicholas Pope, famous for his gravity-defying works, died aged 77.
- Tilda Swinton narrates Olivia Laing's The Lonely City audiobook, about how artists including Andy Warhol and Edward Hopper navigated loneliness.
- See Martin Parr's final commission at Lacock Abbey.
- In other French news, where to see the best art in Marseille, Aix, Avignon and Arles.
Masterpiece of the Week
Saint Peter Martyr, Giorgio Schiavone, c. 1456-61. Christian art has a long history of violence. Frida Kahlo was arguably influenced by religious images of martyrdom brought to Mexico by the Spanish Empire. This painting from Italy's east coast is by an artist from the Balkans, nicknamed Giorgio Schiavone – “Giorgio the Slav”. His real name was Juraj Ćulinović. The brutal imagery of suffering has a directness that echoes in Catholic art, intended to harrow, terrify and inspire. Peter Martyr has a savage sword buried in his head and a dagger in his heart, yet is alive in eternity, contemplating God. Schiavone trained in Padua and was likely influenced by Donatello's sculptures. National Gallery, London.
