Beschreibung:

Kahlo, FridaA group of correspondence from Kahlo to artist Ignacio Aguirre circa 1935 Lot includes: 5 autograph letters on 5 leaves (from 215 x 140 to 275 mm x 208 mm), four of which written recto only, one of which written recto and verso, totaling approximately 5 1/2 pages, two of which accomplished in ink, others in pencil, one with two neat drawings of flowers, and several lipstick kisses, with 5 envelopes addressed in Kahlo's hand; old folds, minor toning. — 5 autograph notes on 3 slips of paper, one of which signed "Christina", and 2 envelopes (from 50 x 103 mm to 90 x 164 mm), two of which accomplished in ink, others in pencil; old folds, minor toning, one or two instances of minor staining. — 1 telegram (165 x 203 mm), dated 14 October 1935, and printed on Direccion General de Correos y Telegrafos stationery; minor browning, old fold, short slip to fold. Full translations available upon request. A remarkable group of intimate letters from Frida to Nacho "I slept with your flower— / It is now twelve...now you’re not going to call me? / I want to see you—to be with you close close / you left me flowers on my shoulder—red flowers. / nacho - Nachito" (translated from the original Spanish). In 1935, Frida Kahlo became involved with Ignacio "Nacho" Aguirre, a novelist and engraver from Jalisco. Prior to this, Aguirre had led a varied and fascinating life. From the time he was 15-years-old, Aguirre fought against Pancho Villa as a member of the forces commanded by Carranza, took up arms in support of General Alvaro Obregón, and worked in the Secretariat of Communications and the Office of the President of the Republic. Somehow, in the midst of all this, Aguirre made time for serious artistic study, and even his own creative pursuits. One of the founding members of the League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists, as well as the People's Graphic Workshop, in 1940 he was awarded first prize in the Latin American Engraving Exhibit at the World Fair in New York. In early 1935, Kahlo discovered that her husband, Diego Rivera was having an affair with her younger sister, Christina. While both husband and wife had embarked on extramarital affairs in the past, the closeness of this infidelity deeply wounded Kahlo. She took an apartment in central Mexico City, and began new liaisons of her own with Isamu Noguchi and Nacho Aguirre. Kahlo and Aguirre often met at Puente de Alvarado No. 45, where the latter lived, and where the letters are addressed to (and which Kahlo always marked "For immediate delivery"). With great affection, the present letters convey the closeness that existed between the artists. Kahlo writes (again, translated form the original Spanish): Call me on the phone any morning after ten—I want to see you [...]. In any case write me—I will wait for your letter as if you yourself had arrived—Your eyes—Your marvelous hands—[...]. Kahlo then creates an acrostic, which, in Spanish, spells Ignacio, using the following words: Imán (magnet), Gaviota (seagull), Niño (boy), Amor (love), Canela (cinnamon), Isla (island), and Oceano (ocean). Don’t laugh because with the letters of your name I wrote these words. I know that no word could say what you are—but let me think—believe—that you feel how I love you. Together these letters offer a striking and emotional glimpse into Kahlo and Aguirre's relationship, illustrating both the extreme affection—and, indeed, anxiety—Kahlo felt regarding the stability of their connection. Given that the correspondence is undated, and that Aguirre's responses are not present or published, some elements of the correspondence remain tantalizingly enigmatic, though Kahlo's sense of concern is undeniable, as she concludes one letter with the following (again, translated from the original Spanish): I hope that you understand what I’m saying to you in the way that I would like, but before anything I beg that you be sincere with me and that you tell me what you think about the matter, if you believe that