Tina Modotti and Frigidaire photo exhibits at Rome’s "Museo di Trastevere"

The Tina Modotti and Frigidaire photo exhibits are currently on at the “Museo di Roma in Trastevere".

Modotti was born in the small Italian northern town of Udine (I lived there for 7 years and about 400 meters from Tina’s former home) in 1896 and died in rather suspicious circumstances in 1942 in Mexico City.

                                       

 
A personal friend of Chilean Nobel laureate and poet Pablo Neruda, of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and also of Canadian doctor Norman Bethune, Tina began her illustrious career as the model of California’s photographer Edward Watson.  Watson taught her the tricks of the trade and Modotti went on to become (perhaps) the greatest female photographer of the early 20^th century. 

 
She died at age 45 of a cardiac arrest during a dinner with friends.  Some suspect that she had been murdered by the communists.

 
The Rome exhibit has 60 of her 95 photos on display.  Someone who is also rather famous is said to have a few of her original prints: Madonna (she played in Udine in 2009 at the local stadium---and I was there for that great show---and they say that she had also visited Modotti’s home).