Olga Costa: Dialogues with Mexican Modernism

Rediscovering an important contemporary of Frida Kahlo.
 
An important female voice in Mexico’s modernist art community, Olga Costa (1913–93) painted the women and landscapes of her adopted home country. Largely self-taught, she was inspired by daily life, the colorful clothes and flora of her surroundings, and an underappreciated dialogue between artistic communities in Mexico and in Europe, where she was born. This book situates her work between Mexican and European modernism, tracing her life from her birthplace in Germany to her career in Mexico.

Costa emigrated from Leipzig when she was twelve years old and spent her teenage years in Mexico City. She and her husband, José Chávez Morado, were both painters who actively promoted the work of other artists, playing an integral role in Mexico’s vibrant art scene. In a community of mostly men, Costa’s examination of questions of cultural identity and feminism distinguished her work, making her one of the most important women artists in the circle surrounding Frida Kahlo.

Sabine Hoffmann is a researcher in the Director’s Office of the Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig.

Stefan Weppelmann is director of the Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig, Germany.