Rago Auctions, a leading U.S. regional auction house, will bring three photographs of Frida Kahlo to market in its Post War and Contemporary Art Auction on November 15. The photos are from the Carla and George Stellweg Collection.

Lot 676 is a rare photo of Frida Kahlo and Emmy Lou Packard taken by Diego Rivera with Packard's camera in 1941. Packard, who worked with Frida, is styled as a blonde version of the artist, an effect which much pleased Rivera, according to collector Carla Stellweg, as did the women's friendship. They both look directly into the camera. Packard bears a small, secretive smile; Kahlo is smug as the cat who got the cream.

Lot 687, The Three Frida Kahlo's - Portrait of Frida in Studio (with "Las Dos Fridas" painting), Close-up, was taken in 1943 by Fritz Henle, a fine photographer and ardent admirer of Frida. Frida has chosen to ignore him and his camera in favor of her own image-making, her self-portrait. She is as available as stone, yet undeniably aware of the camera’s gaze. 

Lot 688 shows the artist in another interaction, this one with the camera of Swiss photographer Lucienne Bloch in Detroit in 1933. Her gaze is entirely different from that in the other two photographs offered - candid, vulnerable, caught in the moment.

The Carla and George Stellweg Collection was assembled by Carla Stellweg, a curator, art historian, and writer in the field of Latin American & Latino International Contemporary Art. Rago is offering 75 lots from the collection on November 15, including works by Ismael Vargas, Arturo Elizondo, German Venegas, Francisco Toledo, Magali Lara, Emmy Lou Packard, Fritz Henle, Lucienne Bloch, Jaime Palacios, Hannah Wilke, Antonio Henrique Amaral, Cildo Meireles, Monica Giron, Judith Gutierrez, Dennis Oppenheim, David Lamelas, Roberto Gil De Montes and Carlos Capelan.

Click here to see a video with Carla Stellweg speaking about these photographs and her life in art, or visit ragoarts.com.

Auction Dates/Times

• 19th/20th C. American and European Art Auction: Saturday, November 15 at 10 a.m.
• Post-War and Contemporary Art Auction: Saturday, November 15 at 1 p.m.

Auction Exhibition/Preview/Bidding

• Saturday, November 8 through Thursday, November 13, 12–5 p.m. and by appointment. Friday, November 14, 12-7 p.m. Doors open at 9 a.m. the day of the sale.
• Rago Open House: Tuesday, November 11, 6 p.m., featuring a talk by Mirko Ilic speaking about his latest book, “Lettering Large: The Art and Design of Monumental Typography”. Please RSVP to raac@ragoarts.com or 609-397-9374 ext. 119.
• Rago is located midway between New York City and Philadelphia. Directions online at ragoarts.com.
• Telephone, absentee, online bidding available for those unable to attend.

Catalogues

• Print: $20 (or both for $30). Available by calling 609.397.9374 or e-mailing a request to info@ragoarts.com.
• Online at ragoarts.com.

About Rago Arts and Auction Center

Rago is a leading U.S. auction house with $30 million in sales in 2013. We serve thousands of sellers and buyers internationally with a singular blend of global reach and personal service. Rago holds auctions of 20th/21st c. design, fine art, decorative arts, furnishings, jewelry, militaria, coins and currency, Asian, historic ephemera, and ethnographic property.  A world-class venue through which to buy and sell, it offers valuations for personal property (from a single piece to collections and estates), appraisals, estate services, exhibitions and lectures in house and online. Rago is based in New Jersey, midway between Philadelphia and New York City.