Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at MoMA
Date: March 23, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of "All Of It" focuses on the new collaborative exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) titled Frida and Diego: The Last Dream, organized in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera's upcoming premiere of a new opera on the famed Mexican artists. Host Alison Stewart sits down with MoMA’s curator of Latino Art, Beverly Adams, and opera set designer John Bowser ("bossa"), to explore the intersection of visual art and opera, the enduring power of Kahlo and Rivera’s work, and the creative approach behind this innovative exhibition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins of the MoMA and Met Opera Collaboration

• Beverly Adams discusses the impetus behind the partnership, noting MoMA's history of working with the opera, such as the William Kentridge retrospective. The new opera on Kahlo and Rivera (El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego) inspired MoMA to offer their collection to help inform the opera’s set and costume design, and vice versa.
  • Quote:
    “We have Frida and Diego, and these are artists that we had been long invested in their careers... so we just thought it would be an amazing idea to have John Bowser come and think about our collection as he was thinking about developing the sets and costumes for the opera.” – Beverly Adams [02:42]

2. The Opera’s Narrative and Set Design

• John Bowser outlines the opera, set on the Day of the Dead, with Diego attempting to convince Frida to accompany him into death. The set is designed to be transformational and ever-changing, reflecting the complexity of Frida and Diego’s relationship and their art.
  • Quote:
    “It’s a kind of anti love story, I suppose, where the two meet again in death... it’s an ever-changing set... evolving in front of you like their work.” – John Bowser [03:40–04:34]

3. Exhibit Structure: From Watercolors to Signature Works

• The exhibition is structured around both artists’ works, starting with Diego Rivera’s early watercolors for stage and costume design—a nod to the meta-interplay of art and performance. This becomes a conceptual anchor for the show.
  • Quote:
    “We have in the collection these beautiful watercolors done by Diego Rivera... for the stage set and for the costumes for a ballet... So we see the artist as stage designer early on in his career... That, to me, was an interesting meta moment.” – Beverly Adams [05:32]

4. Iconic Artworks & Exhibition Experience

• The exhibit opens with Kahlo’s powerful Tree of Hope, Remain Strong, encapsulating her resilience and pain.
  • Quote:
    “Her life story is part of her life. It’s really encapsulated in this beautiful self portrait... such a powerful image.” – Beverly Adams [07:13]
  • John Bowser highlights the painting’s influence on costume design and staging, focusing on the duality and the armor-like quality of Kahlo’s identity.
    • Quote:
      “She’s constructed this image for herself, like armor effectively over her disability that sits below that and the pain that sits below that.” – John Bowser [08:00]

5. Set Design Elements: The Red Tree and Scaffolding

• Bowser introduces a red tree with a mirror, inspired by Kahlo’s “heart” and her bed’s canopy. This totem acts as a connective symbol in the exhibition and opera.

  • Quote:
    “At the center of [the opera] is this tree ... almost like the heart of Frida, representing so many things—from the heart to lineage and her pain.” – John Bowser [09:17]

• The gallery’s staging—curtains, lighting, and carefully revealed artworks—creates moments of theatrical revelation, paralleling operatic performance.

  • Quote:
    “They were not only decorating the set, these paintings, but they were animating the set. They brought it to life.” – Beverly Adams [10:47]

• Scaffolding, a recurring visual motif, stands for both Rivera’s mural work and Kahlo’s medical support structures.

  • Quote:
    “Scaffolding... holding things up like crutches, supporting things like they would be supporting Frida in her corsetry... It's propping up this scaffolding net... a modern material, dyed blue... like a bloodied gauze, but now blue.” – John Bowser [14:08]

6. Frida’s “Self Portrait with Cropped Hair”

• Adams discusses Kahlo’s subversion of gender and autonomy in this work, relating it to her relationship with Rivera, and how Kahlo’s art has become an empowering icon for others.
  • Quote:
    “These paintings are very delicately done, almost like retables... but I think it’s a reference to her relationship with Rivera. ...They’re so relatable ... her works empowered other artists to write about disability, or paint or make operas about things.” – Beverly Adams [12:11–13:48]

7. Frida and Diego in the United States

• The show includes photos and paintings from their U.S. years. Beverly recounts Frida’s difficulty adjusting to the U.S. and Rivera’s celebrity as an artist.
  • Quote:
    “What few people remember now is that in 1930s, Rivera was probably the most famous artist of his time... in the 30s, he was much in demand, and he traveled all over the US doing special projects. Kahlo came along and eventually began to work while she was here.” – Beverly Adams [15:49]

8. Frida’s Menagerie and Surreal Iconography

• Kahlo’s animals – her pet monkey and others – figure symbolically in her art, appearing in notable works included in the exhibit.
  • Quote:
    “In her house... she had a deer as a pet, she had small dogs... you know, and they do end up in her works... a beautiful painting in the show where she is... the body of a deer and with her face.” – Beverly Adams [17:40]

9. Why Frida and Diego Endure

• Adams and Bowser reflect on the current “Frida moment”: her relatability, introspection, and journey from "artist’s wife" to acclaimed artist. Adams notes Kahlo’s work has “become the painter on her own,” and Bowser emphasizes her modernity and emotional rawness.
  • Quotes:
    “We love that kind of story ... the woman artist who comes out from underneath the very large shadow of her husband.” – Beverly Adams [18:26]
    “This emotion laid bare, her introspection and her bravery and not ... shying away from exposing that... makes it modern, makes it contemporary and makes us interested.” – John Bowser [19:34]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Beverly Adams on the exhibit’s point of departure:
  “We have in the collection these beautiful watercolors done by Diego Rivera... done for the stage set and for the costumes for a ballet... So we see the artist as stage designer early on in his career, in the late 20s, early 30s. And that, to me, was an interesting meta moment.” [05:32]
• John Bowser on Kahlo’s self-construction:
  “She’s constructed this image for herself, like armor effectively over her disability that sits below that and the pain that sits below that.” [08:00]
• On the exhibition design:
  “They were not only decorating the set, these paintings, but they were animating the set. They brought it to life.” – Beverly Adams [10:47]
• On why Frida resonates today:
  “Her works are infinitely relatable and there’s a whole phenomena around her. ...We continue to do that. ...We saw her as maybe, you know, the artist’s wife at first, but she has totally become the painter on her own.” – Beverly Adams [18:26]
  “This emotion laid bare, her introspection and her bravery and not shying away from exposing that... makes us interested in it.” – John Bowser [19:34]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:42 – Origins of MoMA–Met Opera collaboration
• 03:40 – The opera’s Day of the Dead premise
• 05:32 – Early Rivera watercolors and meta-exhibition concepts
• 07:13 – Kahlo’s “Tree of Hope” as exhibit’s emotional entry point
• 09:17 – Bowser’s red tree: from icon to set piece
• 10:47 – Exhibition as animated stage
• 12:11 – “Self Portrait with Cropped Hair” and gender identity
• 14:08 – Scaffolding as motif for support and construction
• 15:49 – Rivera in America; Kahlo’s uneasy expat experience
• 17:13 – Frida’s animals—her menagerie as art and personal symbol
• 18:26 – Why Kahlo and Rivera’s story remains so powerful

Tone & Atmosphere

The discussion is thoughtful, warm, and deeply appreciative of the artists' legacies. Both guests and host balance accessibility with insight, often lingering on the emotional and intellectual impact of Kahlo and Rivera’s art, their tumultuous relationship, and their relevance in contemporary culture.

Final Note

Frida and Diego: The Last Dream at MoMA is more than a celebration of two iconic artists: it is a living collaboration across mediums, paying homage to Kahlo and Rivera’s art, lives, and enduring inspiration. The show runs through September 12th, coinciding with the Met Opera debut of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego.

Guests:

• Beverly Adams – MoMA Curator of Latino Art
• John Bowser – Opera Set Designer

Host: Alison Stewart, WNYC

For images and further information, the exhibition is featured on MoMA and WNYC’s platforms.