Credits: Susan Lee 333 / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0.
Frida Kahlo continues to leave her mark on art. An extraordinary personality, her life, though short, was marked by suffering and disillusionment. It is through her artworks that she expressed tortures both physical and psychological. An emblem of body positivity and an LGBT icon before her time, she is remembered as a visionary woman. From 2023 to 2024, the city of Paris honored her with two exhibitions, a rare recognition for a female artist. Recognized as a major figure of Surrealism, Frida Kahlo is reborn once again. But who is Frida Kahlo? Autopsy of an absolute myth.
A Life of Suffering
She owes her original first name to her father, a German immigrant in Aztec land. In his native language, "Friede" means peace. From her birth in 1907, this name choice sparked quarrels. Not appearing in the saints’ calendar, the priest threatened to refuse her baptism. So she would be Magdalena Carmen Frieda for the church, but Frida to those close to her.
She grew up in Coyoacán, a borough of Mexico City, in the "Blue House" where she would live her whole life. Taking advantage of her curiosity, her father thought it wise to teach her photography.
Unfortunately, at six years old she contracted poliomyelitis, which left her right leg atrophied. Her foot stopped growing, earning her the nickname "pata de palo" ("peg leg," ed.).
In 1925, fate struck Frida Kahlo again. Victim of a serious accident, she was on a bus when a tram collided with them, her and her friend. As a result, the bus exploded. Frida suffered multiple injuries: broken legs, damaged spine, and a foot pierced by an iron rod.
After the accident, Frida spent several months in the hospital. She was forced to wear a brace, which she would not take off until the end of her life.
During her convalescence, Frida Kahlo found refuge in painting. She decided to devote herself to this art to bear witness to her life and trials.
Queen of the Self-Portrait
Frida Kahlo’s Inspirations
Frida Kahlo drew inspiration from herself and aspired to become a full-fledged artist.
To protect her fragile spine, she painted on a custom easel that allowed her to work lying down.
Her parents installed a mirror on the ceiling. This setup already places the self-portrait at the center of her work. By painting herself, she expressed her personal sufferings. Her painting became the outlet for her pain.
Frida Kahlo posed in traditional costumes for her self-portraits. She was one of the first women artists to paint herself, anticipating the narcissism of our era: the art of the selfie before its time.
She produced more than fifty self-portraits, nearly half of her artistic output. One of her best-known self-portraits remains Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird.
The Elephant and the Dove
In 1928, Frida Kahlo met Diego Rivera, a Mexican painter twenty years her senior. A famous muralist, he immediately noticed Frida’s singular beauty.
They married a year later and Frida Kahlo introduced Diego to her parents. Her mother would say that "it’s the elephant marrying the dove." Indeed, the couple was mismatched: Frida had style, radiance, and coquetry. In contrast, Diego, although tall, was heavyset and ungainly. And he was, above all, twice her age!
Very quickly, their relationship became tumultuous. Frida was captivated by this man, madly in love, but often unhappy.
Unfaithful, Diego even cheated on her with her younger sister Cristina. That was something Frida would never forgive: "I have suffered two terrible accidents in my life. One in which a tram knocked me down. The other was Diego," she would say. And despite the couple’s fame, Frida remained kept in Diego’s shadow.
In 1938, she met André Breton and his wife Jacqueline Lamba. "Art like a ribbon around a bomb," they would say. This meeting would change her career.
Thanks to the couple’s wide network, Frida Kahlo became known and her paintings aroused interest. From then on, Frida devoted herself exclusively to her painting. She exhibited for the first time in 1953 at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Mexico City, one year before her death.
The love story of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera was marked by deep political commitment. Together, they supported communism and revolutionary ideas. Both became members of the Communist Party.
Frida Kahlo also embraced the cause of her country’s indigenous peoples. After her marriage, she abandoned Western dress, including the masculine suits she sometimes wore. She now preferred colorful dresses typical of Mexican tribes.
As a fashion icon, Frida Kahlo already asserted herself as a woman with a non-binary style. Through her varied clothing choices, she embodied freedom, both in her life and in her art.
An Icon of Striking Modernity
Frida Kahlo’s fame goes beyond her artistic talent. Her exploration of bisexuality in a conservative era made her an LGBT icon. Her works address infertility, miscarriages, and sexual pleasure…
Attracted to brilliant minds, whether feminine or masculine, Frida Kahlo transgressed gender norms.
Today, her singularities continue to charm us: young people collect accessories bearing her image and some proudly wear the unibrow. Acceptance of these differences made her one of the early representatives of the body positive movement.
What Is Body Positive?
Body positive is a movement that advocates acceptance and appreciation of all bodies, regardless of shape, size, or appearance. It aims to combat unrealistic beauty standards and promote unconditional self-confidence.
Her Cultural Influence
Today, the artist’s works are considered true masterpieces. Frida Kahlo managed to make a place for herself among the great masters and influential artists of her time. She is a major figure of Surrealism. This artistic movement allows painters to depict their lives in raw terms and to explore social themes.
A notable fact for Frida Kahlo’s legacy: on September 18, 2024, a large immersive exhibition will be dedicated to her in Paris, at the Grand Palais. This exhibition will be presented until March 2, 2025, following the one at the Palais Galliera, which ended in March 2023. Frida is being given two simultaneous exhibitions, which is rare for an artist.
Designed as a multisensory dive into the life and universe of the painter, this experience is unique. It is already renowned worldwide. This exhibition has won fourteen international awards. Although it is not the first immersive exhibition, this one stands out for 360-degree projections of more than one hundred works, photos, archival documents and animations; all accompanied by an original soundtrack composed by Arturo Cardelus.
Telling Frida Kahlo’s life, the exhibition reveals her diary. It also uncovers new perspectives on her paintings. This exhibition-spectacle has already been presented in Madrid, the UK, Argentina and Colombia. Praised by critics and the public, the exhibition is an international success. So, just a little more patience… it’s coming very soon to Paris.
How Did Frida Kahlo Die?
Frida Kahlo suffered greatly physically and morally throughout her life. Her damaged body led her into the hell of alcohol and drugs. As we have seen, her passionate and devastating relationship with Diego Rivera marked her existence and her art.
In August 1953, Frida underwent amputation of her right leg up to the knee due to gangrene. This operation eased her physical suffering but plunged her into a deep depression. In her diary she wrote: "They amputated my leg six months ago which seem to me like a centuries-long torture and sometimes I nearly lost my mind. I always feel like killing myself. Only Diego prevents me, because I imagine that he might miss me. He told me so, and I believe him. But never in my life have I suffered more. I will wait a little longer…"
Weakened by a severe pneumonia, Frida Kahlo died on the night of July 13, 1954, at the age of 47; officially of a pulmonary embolism. However, some of her friends believed her death was due to a drug overdose, possibly intentional. The last words in her diary: "I hope the exit is joyful… and I hope never to return," along with her final drawing suggest that she may have committed suicide.
Frida was cremated the next day, according to her last wishes. She did not want to be buried lying down, having suffered too much in that position in the hospital. Her ashes rest in the Casa Azul in Coyoacán, on her bed, in an urn bearing her face.
Since her death, Frida Kahlo has become a myth. Madonna owns works by the painter whom she and Jean-Paul Gaultier admire. The latter drew inspiration from her for his 1998 runway. Although Madonna wanted to portray Frida Kahlo on film, it was ultimately Salma Hayek who got the role. The film Frida, directed by Julie Taymor and released in 2002, is rather successful.
Today, people talk about "Fridamania" in reference to the many objects created in her image, such as cushions, headbands and T-shirts.
Frida Kahlo, despite her 47 years of life, left an indelible mark on art and fashion. Her feminist convictions and desire for emancipation make her one of the most famous painters in the world.