Frida Kahlo

Who Was Frida Kahlo?

Frida Kahlo, one of Mexico’s most celebrated artists, is best known for her captivating self-portraits, which she began creating after a life-altering bus accident. Overcoming tremendous physical and emotional challenges, she became a symbol of resilience and creativity. Kahlo’s work was deeply influenced by her personal experiences, and she gained international recognition for her unique style and political activism. She was also married to fellow artist Diego Rivera, and together, they were key figures in the Mexican art scene. Kahlo exhibited her work in both Paris and Mexico before her death in 1954.

Family, Education, and Early Life

Frida Kahlo was born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón on July 6, 1907, in Coyoacán, Mexico City. Her father, Wilhelm (also known as Guillermo), was a German photographer who had immigrated to Mexico, where he met and married her mother, Matilde. Kahlo had two older sisters, Matilde and Adriana, and a younger sister, Cristina, who was born a year after her.

At the age of six, Kahlo contracted polio, which left her bedridden for nine months. The disease damaged her right leg and foot, causing her to limp for the rest of her life. Her father encouraged her to participate in physical activities such as soccer, swimming, and even wrestling—uncommon for girls at the time—to aid in her recovery.

In 1922, Kahlo enrolled at the National Preparatory School, one of Mexico’s most prestigious institutions. She was one of the few female students and quickly became known for her vibrant personality, love of traditional Mexican clothing, and bold jewelry. During her time at the school, Kahlo was exposed to a politically and intellectually active group of students, which led her to join the Young Communist League and the Mexican Communist Party.

Frida Kahlo’s Accident

On September 17, 1925, Kahlo was involved in a devastating bus accident. While traveling with her then-boyfriend, Alejandro Gómez Arias, the bus collided with a streetcar, and Kahlo was impaled by a steel handrail that pierced her hip. The injuries she sustained were severe, including fractures to her spine and pelvis. After weeks of hospitalization at the Red Cross Hospital in Mexico City, Kahlo returned home to recover. During her long convalescence, she began to paint, producing her first self-portrait in 1926, which she later gave to Gómez Arias.

Frida Kahlo’s Marriage to Diego Rivera

In 1929, Kahlo married renowned Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. The two had first met in 1922 when Rivera was commissioned to create a mural at Kahlo’s school, where she watched him work. In a conversation with a friend, Kahlo reportedly stated that one day she would have Rivera’s child. After reconnecting in 1928, Rivera encouraged Kahlo’s artistic endeavors, and their relationship blossomed. The couple’s early years were marked by travel, with Rivera’s commissions taking them to San Francisco, New York, and Detroit.

In 1933, Rivera’s mural project at Rockefeller Center in New York caused a scandal when he included a portrait of communist leader Vladimir Lenin, leading to the cancellation of the commission. This controversy followed them to Mexico, where they lived in San Angel, Mexico. The couple’s relationship, though passionate, was tumultuous. Rivera’s infidelities, including an affair with Kahlo’s sister Cristina, deeply hurt Kahlo. In response to this betrayal, she famously cut off her long hair.

Kahlo also experienced heartbreak when she miscarried in 1934, further deepening her emotional struggles. Despite their separations, the couple reunited in 1937 to offer sanctuary to exiled Soviet revolutionary Leon Trotsky and his wife, Natalia. Trotsky had been granted asylum in Mexico after being exiled from the Soviet Union, and Kahlo and Rivera supported him during his stay. Kahlo reportedly had a brief affair with Trotsky during this time.

In 1939, Kahlo and Rivera divorced, but the separation was short-lived, and they remarried in 1940. Their union remained unconventional, with both continuing to pursue relationships with other people while leading largely independent lives.

Artistic Career of Frida Kahlo

While Frida Kahlo never considered herself a surrealist, she forged a close friendship with André Breton, one of the leading figures of the surrealist movement, in 1938. That same year, Kahlo held a major exhibition at a New York City gallery, where she sold about half of the 25 paintings on display. The exhibition also led to two significant commissions, including one from Clare Boothe Luce, a prominent magazine editor.

In 1939, Kahlo relocated to Paris, where she exhibited her work and developed relationships with influential artists, including Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso.

Kahlo’s career continued to evolve in the early 1940s, despite personal hardships. In 1941, she received a commission from the Mexican government to paint five portraits of important Mexican women. However, due to the death of her father and ongoing health issues, she was unable to complete the project. Nonetheless, her popularity continued to rise, and she participated in numerous group exhibitions during this period. In 1953, Kahlo had her first solo exhibition in Mexico. Although she was bedridden at the time, she made a memorable entrance to the event, arriving by ambulance and spending the evening celebrating from a specially prepared four-poster bed set up in the gallery.

Following her death, Kahlo’s legacy gained significant attention, particularly during the feminist movement of the 1970s, which recognized her as an icon of female creativity and resilience.

Frida Kahlo’s Most Famous Paintings

Kahlo’s oeuvre includes numerous self-portraits, and several of her works have become iconic in the art world:

“Frida and Diego Rivera” (1931)

Painted two years after her marriage to Rivera, this work was displayed at the Sixth Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Society of Women Artists. The portrait captures the couple in a formal, yet intimate pose. Kahlo lightly holds Rivera’s hand, while he grasps a palette and paintbrushes. The piece now resides at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

“Henry Ford Hospital” (1932)

A deeply personal painting, Kahlo depicts herself lying in a hospital bed surrounded by surreal elements, such as a fetus, a flower, and a pelvis, all connected to her by red, vein-like strings. The painting reflects her grief following a miscarriage and incorporates graphic, surrealistic elements that marked a shift in her artistic style.

“The Suicide of Dorothy Hale” (1939)

Kahlo was commissioned to paint a portrait of actress Dorothy Hale, who had tragically committed suicide earlier that year. Instead of a traditional portrait, Kahlo painted a dramatic depiction of Hale’s final moments, showing her leap from a building. While critics praised the piece, the patron, Hale’s mother, was horrified by the stark portrayal.

Kahlo’s legacy as an artist endures not only through her deeply personal and vivid works but also through her unique ability to express the complexities of identity, pain, and strength.

Frida Kahlo’s Death

Frida Kahlo passed away on July 13, 1954, just a week after her 47th birthday, at her cherished Blue House (La Casa Azul) in Coyoacán, Mexico. The cause of her death is officially attributed to a pulmonary embolism, though some have speculated about the possibility of suicide. Kahlo’s health had been deteriorating for several years, and by 1950, her physical condition became almost all-consuming. After being diagnosed with gangrene in her right foot, she spent nine months in the hospital undergoing multiple surgeries. Despite her limited mobility, Kahlo continued to create art and actively support political causes. In 1953, her right leg was amputated in an attempt to stop the spread of gangrene.

Kahlo’s depression deepened as her health declined further. She was hospitalized again in April 1954, with some sources suggesting this was due to a suicide attempt, while others reported it as a result of her deteriorating physical health. In June 1954, she was readmitted to the hospital with bronchial pneumonia. Throughout this period, Kahlo remained committed to her political activism, with her final public appearance being a demonstration on July 2, 1954, against the U.S.-backed overthrow of Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz.

Film on Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo’s extraordinary life was brought to the screen in the 2002 film Frida, directed by Julie Taymor. Starring Salma Hayek as Kahlo and Alfred Molina as her husband, Diego Rivera, the film received critical acclaim and was nominated for six Academy Awards. It won two Oscars, for Best Makeup and Original Score.

Frida Kahlo Museum

The Blue House, the home where Kahlo was born and spent much of her life, was converted into the Museo Frida Kahlo in 1958. Located in Coyoacán, Mexico City, the museum houses a collection of Kahlo’s personal belongings and works of art, including Viva la Vida (1954), Frida and Caesarean (1931), and Portrait of My Father Wilhelm Kahlo (1952).

Book on Frida Kahlo

In 1983, Hayden Herrera’s biography, Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo, contributed significantly to the renewed interest in Kahlo’s life and legacy. The book delves into her childhood, the tragic accident that shaped her life, her artistic journey, her marriage to Diego Rivera, her association with the communist party, and her tumultuous love affairs.