Frida Kahlo

Who is Frida Kahlo?

Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón was a Mexican painter born in Coyoacán, Mexico City. At age eighteen she survived a devastating bus accident that left her with lifelong pain and forced her into long periods of bed rest, during which she began to paint self-portraits. Her work is known for its intense colors, Mexican folk influences, and unflinching exploration of identity, the female body, pain, and Mexican indigenous culture. She was married twice to the muralist Diego Rivera, a turbulent relationship that deeply shaped her life and art. Politically active, she was a committed communist. Though she achieved only modest fame during her lifetime, her reputation grew enormously after her death, and she became a global icon of feminism, Mexican identity, and resilience. Her home, the Casa Azul, is now a museum devoted to her memory.

Sources: Hayden Herrera, 'Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo' (1983) · Museo Frida Kahlo (Casa Azul), Coyoacán, Mexico City