Frida Kahlo was born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon in Coyoacan, Mexico July 6th, 1907. She was one of four daughters born to a Hungarian-Jewish father and a mother of Spanish and Mexican Indian descent. She did not originally plan to become an artist. A survivor of polio, she entered a pre-med program in Mexico City. At the … Read more
Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress 1926 This is Frida’s first self-portrait. It was painted as a gift for her student boyfriend, Alejandro Gomez Arias, who had left her. It was given as a token of love by which she hoped to restore his affection and keep her in his thoughts. Her plea for his love … Read more
A Few Small Nips 1935 Broken-hearted over her husband’s affair with her younger sister Cristina, Frida recreated her sorrow and anger in this painting. Her own pain being too great to depict, she projected it onto another woman’s misfortune. A newspaper report about a woman murdered in an act of jealousy provided the artist with … Read more
Frieda and Diego Rivera 1931 This folkloric style double-portrait may have been based on their wedding photograph. It was completed about two years after their marriage while Frida and Diego were in San Francisco. The difference in height between the couple is not exaggerated. Frida’s dainty feet barely touch the ground and she appears to … Read more
Frida Kahlo nació Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón en Coyoacán, México, el 6 de Julio de 1907. Frida era una de las cuatro hijas de un padre judío-húngaro y una madre de ascendencia indígena-mexicana. Originalmente no planeaba el convertirse en una artista. Una superviviente de polio, empezó un programa de pre-medicina en la ciudad de México. A la … Read more
As a young woman, becoming a painter was not a part of Frida’s career goals. Her goal in life was to become a doctor but a tragic accident at age 18 left her mentally and physically scared for life. It changed the course of her life forever. It was during her months of convalescence that … Read more
Viva la Vida, Watermelons 1954 Oil on masonite, 59.53 x 50.8 cm Museo Frida KahloMexico City, Mexico In the last years of her life, Frida painted many still-lifes. During this period she was in such pain that she was unable to leave the house or even, at times, her bed. Her still-lifes usually depict the … Read more
The Broken Column 1944 This self-portrait is in sharp contrast to Frida’s other self-portraits in that she is all alone… no monkeys, no cats, no parrots, and no background of protective leaves and plants. Instead, Frida stands all alone crying on a vast baron plain beneath a stormy sky. Perhaps it’s her way of expressing … Read more
“The only thing I know…” Frida Kahlo once said “… is that I paint becauseI need to.” “I paint my own reality…I paint what ever passes through my head withoutany other consideration.” “I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the subjectI know best.” As a young woman, becoming a painter was not … Read more
The Two Fridas 1939 Shortly after her divorce from Diego Rivera, Frida completed this self-portrait of two different personalities. Frida’s diary says this painting had its origin in her memory of an imaginary childhood friend. Later she admitted it records the emotions surrounding her separation and martial crisis. On the right, the part of her … Read more
