If you were to ask her, Frida Kahlo would tell you she was born in 1910, the year the Mexican Revolution began. Her birth certificate, however, read “July 6, 1907.” Though she wasn’t truly born in the same year as the new Mexico, Kahlo’s life, art, and identity were inseparable from her Mexican culture. She was known for dressing in the traditional Mexican style of long, colorful dresses, woven shawls, and bright flowers or elaborate jewelry. The same color palette and themes of cultural identity can be seen in her art.

Frida Kahlo’s life was marked by tragedy. At a young age, she was stricken with polio, which left one of her legs thinner and weaker than the other. In 1925, she was involved in a crippling bus accident. Kahlo’s body was pierced by a metal pole and she broke several bones, including her foot, spine, and pelvis. Although she eventually regained her ability to walk, Kahlo suffered from repercussions of this accident for the rest of her life. She had more than 30 operations, was bedridden for long periods, and dealt with chronic bouts of pain until her death.

In 1929, Kahlo married Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican muralist. The two artists had a passionate and difficult relationship, documented in Kahlo’s numerous self-portraits. Due to her accident, Kahlo was unable to carry a pregnancy to term, a source of great sadness to her. Both Kahlo and Rivera had many extramarital affairs – Rivera’s included one with Kahlo’s own sister. The couple divorced in 1939, but later remarried and remained together for the remainder of her life.

Kahlo and Rivera spent several years in the United States, traveling and exhibiting their work. Frida Kahlo never had a solo exhibit in Mexico until 1953, a few years before her death. She attended the showing despite being bedridden. Her four-poster bed was transported to the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City for the occasion.

Frida Kahlo died in 1954. Over 200 paintings chronicle her life.

Related Links

Frida Kahlo and Contemporary Thoughts
FridaKahlo.com
Brain Juice Biography of Frida Kahlo
The World of Frida Kahlo