Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist. She is known for painting about her experience of chronic pain.
Born to a German father and a mestiza mother, Kahlo spent most of her childhood and adult life at La Casa Azul, her family home in Coyoacán – now publicly accessible as the Frida Kahlo Museum. Although she was disabled by polio as a child, Kahlo had been a promising student headed for medical school until she suffered a bus accident at the age of 18, which caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. During her recovery, she returned to her childhood interest in art with the idea of becoming an artist.
Born to a German father and a mestiza mother, Kahlo spent most of her childhood and adult life at La Casa Azul, her family home in Coyoacán – now publicly accessible as the Frida Kahlo Museum. Although she was disabled by polio as a child, Kahlo had been a promising student headed for medical school until she suffered a bus accident at the age of 18, which caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. During her recovery, she returned to her childhood interest in art with the idea of becoming an artist.
Show lessRead more
Wikipedia51 stories
View AllRelated works from the web
Artworks not sourced from our partners' collections
Related works from the webThe Two Fridas (1939)
www.wikiart.org
The Two Fridas, 1939 - Frida Kahlo - WikiArt.org
The Broken Column (1944)
www.wikidata.org
The Broken Column - Wikidata
The Wounded Deer (1946)
www.wikidata.org
The Wounded Deer - Wikidata
Diego and I (1949)
www.wikiart.org
Diego and I, 1949 - Frida Kahlo - WikiArt.org
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940)
www.wikidata.org
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird - Wikidata
Henry Ford Hospital (1932)
www.wikiart.org
Henry Ford Hospital (The Flying Bed), 1932 - Frida Kahlo - WikiArt.org
Without Hope (1945)
www.wikiart.org
Without Hope, 1945 - Frida Kahlo - WikiArt.org
A Few Small Nips (Passionately in Love) (1935)
www.wikiart.org
A Few Small Nips (Passionately in Love), 1935 - Frida Kahlo ...
The Suicide of Dorothy Hale (1938)
www.wikiart.org
The Suicide of Dorothy Hale, 1938 - Frida Kahlo - WikiArt.org
Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair (1940)
www.wikiart.org
Self Portrait with Cropped Hair, 1940 - Frida Kahlo - WikiArt.org
“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.”
Frida Kahlo
Jul 6, 1907 - Jul 13, 1954