biography of frida kahlo book

Select your cookie preferences

We use cookies and similar tools that are necessary to enable you to make purchases, to enhance your shopping experiences and to provide our services, as detailed in our Cookie notice . We also use these cookies to understand how customers use our services (for example, by measuring site visits) so we can make improvements.

If you agree, we'll also use cookies to complement your shopping experience across the Amazon stores as described in our Cookie notice . Your choice applies to using first-party and third-party advertising cookies on this service. Cookies store or access standard device information such as a unique identifier. The 96 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Click "Decline" to reject, or "Customise" to make more detailed advertising choices, or learn more. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences , as described in the Cookie notice. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy notice .

• Arts & Photography
• History & Criticism

Sorry, there was a problem.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo Paperback – 28 Jun. 2018

The beautifully illustrated and authoritative biography of Frida Kahlo 'Frida will hold its place as the first comprehensive biography of this most visceral of artists' Observer 'Mesmerizing' Time Frida is the story of one of the twentieth century's most extraordinary women, the painter Frida Kahlo. Born near Mexico City, she grew up during the turbulent days of the Mexican Revolution and, at eighteen, was the victim of an accident that left her crippled and unable to bear children. To salvage what she could from her unhappy situation, Kahlo had to learn to keep still - so she began to paint. Kahlo's unique talent was to make her one of the century's most enduring artists. But her remarkable paintings were only one element of a rich and dramatic life. Frida is also the story of her tempestuous marriage to the muralist Diego Rivera, her love affairs with numerous, diverse men such as Isamu Noguchi and Leon Trotsky, her involvement with the Communist Party, her absorption in Mexican folklore and culture, and of the inspiration behind her unforgettable art.

• Print length 528 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
• Publication date 28 Jun. 2018
• Dimensions 12.9 x 3.6 x 19.3 cm
• ISBN-10 1526605317
• ISBN-13 978-1526605313
• See all details

Product description

Book description, from the back cover, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Publishing; 1st edition (28 Jun. 2018)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 528 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1526605317
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1526605313
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 3.6 x 19.3 cm
• 480 in Biographies about Artists, Architects & Photographers
• 1,516 in Art History by Theme & Concept

About the author

Hayden herrera.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 80% 14% 4% 1% 1% 80%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 80% 14% 4% 1% 1% 14%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 80% 14% 4% 1% 1% 4%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 80% 14% 4% 1% 1% 1%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 80% 14% 4% 1% 1% 1%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Frida, a biography of Frida Kahlo

By hayden herrera and herrera hayden.

• 19 Want to read
• 0 Currently reading
• 1 Have read

Preview Book

My Reading Lists:

Use this Work

Create a new list

My book notes.

My private notes about this edition:

Check nearby libraries

• Library.link

Buy this book

Hailed by readers and critics across the country, this engrossing biography of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo reveals a woman of extreme magnetism and originality, an artist whose sensual vibrancy came straight from her own experiences: her childhood near Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution; a devastating accident at age eighteen that left her crippled and unable to bear children; her tempestuous marriage to muralist Diego Rivera and intermittent love affairs with men as diverse as Isamu Noguchi and Leon Trotsky; her association with the Communist Party; her absorption in Mexican folklore and culture; and her dramatic love of spectacle.

Here is the tumultuous life of an extraordinary twentieth-century woman -- with illustrations as rich and haunting as her legend.

Previews available in: English

Showing 5 featured editions. View all 5 editions?

Add another edition?

Book Details

Table of contents, edition notes.

Originally published: New York : Harper & Row, 1983.

Includes index.

Bibliography: p. 445-448.

Classifications

The physical object, source records, links outside open library.

• Frida Kahlo Museum
• Frida Kahlo: Paintings, Biography, Quotes
• Frida Kahlo: The Iconic Unibrowed Mexican Artist

Community Reviews (0)

• Created October 23, 2008
• 18 revisions

Wikipedia citation

Copy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?

• Arts, Film & Photography
• Theory & Criticism

Sorry, there was a problem.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera, scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo Paperback – 28 June 2018

• Free Delivery

10 days Replacement

• Amazon Delivered
• Pay on Delivery
• Secure transaction

Replacement Instructions

Purchase options and add-ons

• Print length 528 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Publication date 28 June 2018
• Dimensions 12.9 x 3.6 x 19.3 cm
• ISBN-10 1526605317
• ISBN-13 978-1526605313
• See all details

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product description

About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (28 June 2018)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 528 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1526605317
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1526605313
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 kg 50 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 3.6 x 19.3 cm
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ United Kingdom
• #352 in Theory & Criticism
• #4,653 in Biographies & Autobiographies (Books)

About the author

Hayden herrera.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 81% 12% 4% 1% 1% 81%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 81% 12% 4% 1% 1% 12%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 81% 12% 4% 1% 1% 4%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 81% 12% 4% 1% 1% 1%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 81% 12% 4% 1% 1% 1%
• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from India

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Press Releases
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell under Amazon Accelerator
• Protect and Build Your Brand
• Amazon Global Selling
• Supply to Amazon
• Become an Affiliate
• Fulfilment by Amazon
• Advertise Your Products
• Amazon Pay on Merchants
• Your Account
• Returns Centre
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• 100% Purchase Protection
• Amazon App Download

• Conditions of Use & Sale
• Privacy Notice
• Interest-Based Ads

Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera – Book Review

I finally got around to reading this excellent biography of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, which I picked up, appropriately enough, during my trip to Mexico almost three years ago.

I’ve been a fan of Frida’s striking, intensely personal paintings for a long time, and during my trip I was lucky enough to visit Casa Azul , the Frida Kahlo Museum in the neighbourhood of Coyoacán in Mexico City. In retrospect, I almost wish I’d read the book and got more insight into Frida’s life before the visit, but ah well.

In the preface, Herrera describes an event that perfectly encapsulated Frida’s qualities as a person and a painter: a year before her early death at the age of forty-seven, Frida made an appearance at her first major exhibition in her native Mexico. With her health badly deteriorated, Frida arrived at the Gallery of Contemporary Art in an ambulance, wearing her favourite traditional Tehuana costume, and received friends and visitors in her four-poster bed, installed earlier. It was a testimony to Frida’s spirit in the face of suffering, her love of drama and spectacle, and an extra reminder of Frida’s central subject as an artist – herself.

I paint my own reality, she said. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint always whatever passes through my head, without any other consideration.

Herrera’s book naturally gives a lot of attention to Frida’s art and I enjoyed the in-depth descriptions and analysis of her paintings, though it’s a tad disappointing that only half of the reproductions are in colour and the rest are black-and-white. Though she was embraced by the European Surrealists, Herrera argues that Frida’s art was far too specific, culturally and individually, to be classified as such. It was a visual diary of her life and emotions, at times full of disturbing violent imagery that reflected her real-life pain, but also displaying sensual vibrancy and even black humour. Along with her Mexican costumes, it also showed her absorption in traditional Mexican culture and folklore. Frida’s creation of her public persona was very much self-aware and knowing (early on there’s an anecdote about how she’s chosen 1910, the year of the Mexican Revolution, as her birth date rather than the 1907 date on her actual birth certificate).

It’s fascinating to think whether Frida would have become an artist at all had it not been for the devastating traffic accident that happened when she was eighteen and left her literally impaled on a metal bar in the wreckage of the bus. She could never have a child, suffering miscarriages because of her broken pelvis, and had to endure endless operations. Prior to the accident, Frida apparently had shown little to no interest in painting and took it up while bedridden afterwards.

Another momentous event in her life was of course Frida’s marriage to muralist Diego Rivera , a tempestuous union that ended in divorce followed by re-marriage. Their marriage often takes centre stage in the biography and you learn a lot about Rivera simply because of how important he was in Frida’s life. Frida’s pain was knowing that she would never come first for Rivera who lived for his work, while Diego was the most important thing in her life. Both had many love affairs; in a typical macho manner Rivera was indulgent towards Frida’s female lovers while jealous of the male ones (which included distinguished men like Leon Trotsky and the artist Isamu Noguchi ). But they were well-matched too, sharing commitment to Mexico and its working people, the Communist Party, deep love and friendship and immense respect for each other’s work. While it took Frida a long time to come out of Rivera’s shadow, he was always supportive of her talent.

Behind her indomitable persona, Frida of course was rather more vulnerable and complicated, a side she only showed to those closest to her and that Herrera doesn’t gloss over. Frida’s personal letters, quoted here in full, provide an insight into her personality and voice (though I also found them a tad maddening to read because Frida often didn’t have much use for punctuation, pouring herself out in a torrent of words).

Some of Herrera’s own interpretations of Frida’s art and life should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt, but then again there’s no such thing as a completely objective biography. Overall it’s a well-written, detailed book that does manage to convey the sheer magnetism of Frida the person and the artist.

Share this:

2 thoughts on “ frida: a biography of frida kahlo by hayden herrera – book review ”.

Thank you very much for reviewing and sharing your thoughts about this one. I was teetering on the fence of weather or not to add it to my stack of to-be-reads. I’m now convinced! Thank you again.

Like Liked by 1 person

You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy the book as well.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

We’re fighting to restore access to 500,000+ books in court this week. Join us!

Send me an email reminder

By submitting, you agree to receive donor-related emails from the Internet Archive. Your privacy is important to us. We do not sell or trade your information with anyone.

Internet Archive Audio

• This Just In
• Grateful Dead
• Old Time Radio
• 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
• Audio Books & Poetry
• Computers, Technology and Science
• Music, Arts & Culture
• News & Public Affairs
• Spirituality & Religion
• Radio News Archive

• Flickr Commons
• Occupy Wall Street Flickr
• NASA Images
• Solar System Collection
• Ames Research Center

• All Software
• Old School Emulation
• MS-DOS Games
• Historical Software
• Classic PC Games
• Software Library
• Kodi Archive and Support File
• Vintage Software
• CD-ROM Software
• CD-ROM Software Library
• Software Sites
• Tucows Software Library
• Shareware CD-ROMs
• Software Capsules Compilation
• CD-ROM Images
• ZX Spectrum
• DOOM Level CD

• Smithsonian Libraries
• FEDLINK (US)
• Lincoln Collection
• American Libraries
• Canadian Libraries
• Universal Library
• Project Gutenberg
• Children's Library
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Books by Language
• Additional Collections

• Prelinger Archives
• Democracy Now!
• Occupy Wall Street
• TV NSA Clip Library
• Animation & Cartoons
• Arts & Music
• Computers & Technology
• Cultural & Academic Films
• Ephemeral Films
• Sports Videos
• Videogame Videos
• Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

• Wayback Machine (iOS)
• Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

• Explore the Collections
• Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

• Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

Frida, a biography of Frida Kahlo

Bookreader item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

• Graphic Violence
• Explicit Sexual Content
• Hate Speech
• Misinformation/Disinformation
• Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
• Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

1,939 Views

19 Favorites

Better World Books

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

No suitable files to display here.

IN COLLECTIONS

Uploaded by Lotu Tii on October 4, 2012

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security.

ISBN: 0060085894

ISBN13: 9780060085896

Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo

Select Format

Select condition, recommended.

Format: Paperback

Condition: Good

Book Overview

La mejor biografía que se ha escrito sobre Frida Kahlo, la pintora mexicana por excelencia. Edición revisada con prólogo de Valeria Luiselli Frida fue una figura mítica creada... This description may be from another edition of this product.

Related Subjects

Customer Reviews

Please ga facility describe the condition of your books better., the definitive magdalena carmen frida kahlo y calderón, frida kahlo by h. herrera, seminal study on enigmatic personality, the one and only, stranger than fiction, popular categories.

• Teen and Young Adult
• Literature & Fiction
• Mystery & Thriller
• Sci-fi & Fantasy
• Large Print Books
• Rare & Collectible Books
• ShareBookLove
• Educator Benefits
• Librarian Benefits
• e-Gift Cards
• View Mobile Site
• Shopping Cart
• Order History

Partnerships

• Library Program
• Help & Support
• Shipping Costs
• Return Policy
• Website Suggestions
• Our Purpose
• Social Responsibility
• Testimonials

Frida Kahlo

Painter Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist who was married to Diego Rivera and is still admired as a feminist icon.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

(1907-1954)

Who Was Frida Kahlo?

Family, education and early life, frida kahlo's accident, frida kahlo's marriage to diego rivera, artistic career, frida kahlo's most famous paintings, frida kahlo’s death, movie on frida kahlo, frida kahlo museum, book on frida kahlo, quick facts:.

FULL NAME: Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón BORN: JULY 6, 1907 BIRTHPLACE: Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

Artist Frida Kahlo was considered one of Mexico's greatest artists who began painting mostly self-portraits after she was severely injured in a bus accident. Kahlo later became politically active and married fellow communist artist Diego Rivera in 1929. She exhibited her paintings in Paris and Mexico before her death in 1954.

Kahlo was born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón on July 6, 1907, in Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico.

Kahlo's father, Wilhelm (also called Guillermo), was a German photographer who had immigrated to Mexico where he met and married her mother Matilde. She had two older sisters, Matilde and Adriana, and her younger sister, Cristina, was born the year after Kahlo.

Around the age of six, Kahlo contracted polio, which caused her to be bedridden for nine months. While she recovered from the illness, she limped when she walked because the disease had damaged her right leg and foot. Her father encouraged her to play soccer, go swimming, and even wrestle — highly unusual moves for a girl at the time — to help aid in her recovery.

In 1922, Kahlo enrolled at the renowned National Preparatory School. She was one of the few female students to attend the school, and she became known for her jovial spirit and her love of colorful, traditional clothes and jewelry.

While at school, Kahlo hung out with a group of politically and intellectually like-minded students. Becoming more politically active, Kahlo joined the Young Communist League and the Mexican Communist Party.

On September 17, 1925, Kahlo and Alejandro Gómez Arias, a school friend with whom she was romantically involved, were traveling together on a bus when the vehicle collided with a streetcar . As a result of the collision, Kahlo was impaled by a steel handrail, which went into her hip and came out the other side. She suffered several serious injuries as a result, including fractures in her spine and pelvis.

After staying at the Red Cross Hospital in Mexico City for several weeks, Kahlo returned home to recuperate further. She began painting during her recovery and finished her first self-portrait the following year, which she gave to Gómez Arias.

In 1929, Kahlo and famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera married. Kahlo and Rivera first met in 1922 when he went to work on a project at her high school. Kahlo often watched as Rivera created a mural called The Creation in the school’s lecture hall. According to some reports, she told a friend that she would someday have Rivera’s baby.

Kahlo reconnected with Rivera in 1928. He encouraged her artwork, and the two began a relationship. During their early years together, Kahlo often followed Rivera based on where the commissions that Rivera received were. In 1930, they lived in San Francisco, California. They then went to New York City for Rivera’s show at the Museum of Modern Art and later moved to Detroit for Rivera’s commission with the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Kahlo and Rivera’s time in New York City in 1933 was surrounded by controversy. Commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller , Rivera created a mural entitled Man at the Crossroads in the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center. Rockefeller halted the work on the project after Rivera included a portrait of communist leader Vladimir Lenin in the mural, which was later painted over. Months after this incident, the couple returned to Mexico and went to live in San Angel, Mexico.

Never a traditional union, Kahlo and Rivera kept separate, but adjoining homes and studios in San Angel. She was saddened by his many infidelities, including an affair with her sister Cristina. In response to this familial betrayal, Kahlo cut off most of her trademark long dark hair. Desperately wanting to have a child, she again experienced heartbreak when she miscarried in 1934.

Kahlo and Rivera went through periods of separation, but they joined together to help exiled Soviet communist Leon Trotsky and his wife Natalia in 1937. The Trotskys came to stay with them at the Blue House (Kahlo's childhood home) for a time in 1937 as Trotsky had received asylum in Mexico. Once a rival of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin , Trotsky feared that he would be assassinated by his old nemesis. Kahlo and Trotsky reportedly had a brief affair during this time.

Kahlo divorced Rivera in 1939. They did not stay divorced for long, remarrying in 1940. The couple continued to lead largely separate lives, both becoming involved with other people over the years .

While she never considered herself a surrealist, Kahlo befriended one of the primary figures in that artistic and literary movement, Andre Breton, in 1938. That same year, she had a major exhibition at a New York City gallery, selling about half of the 25 paintings shown there. Kahlo also received two commissions, including one from famed magazine editor Clare Boothe Luce, as a result of the show.

In 1939, Kahlo went to live in Paris for a time. There she exhibited some of her paintings and developed friendships with such artists as Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso .

Kahlo received a commission from the Mexican government for five portraits of important Mexican women in 1941, but she was unable to finish the project. She lost her beloved father that year and continued to suffer from chronic health problems. Despite her personal challenges, her work continued to grow in popularity and was included in numerous group shows around this time.

In 1953, Kahlo received her first solo exhibition in Mexico. While bedridden at the time, Kahlo did not miss out on the exhibition’s opening. Arriving by ambulance, Kahlo spent the evening talking and celebrating with the event’s attendees from the comfort of a four-poster bed set up in the gallery just for her.

After Kahlo’s death, the feminist movement of the 1970s led to renewed interest in her life and work, as Kahlo was viewed by many as an icon of female creativity.

Many of Kahlo’s works were self-portraits. A few of her most notable paintings include:

'Frieda and Diego Rivera' (1931)

Kahlo showed this painting at the Sixth Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Society of Women Artists, the city where she was living with Rivera at the time. In the work, painted two years after the couple married, Kahlo lightly holds Rivera’s hand as he grasps a palette and paintbrushes with the other — a stiffly formal pose hinting at the couple’s future tumultuous relationship. The work now lives at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

'Henry Ford Hospital' (1932)

In 1932, Kahlo incorporated graphic and surrealistic elements in her work. In this painting, a naked Kahlo appears on a hospital bed with several items — a fetus, a snail, a flower, a pelvis and others — floating around her and connected to her by red, veinlike strings. As with her earlier self-portraits, the work was deeply personal, telling the story of her second miscarriage.

'The Suicide of Dorothy Hale' (1939)

Kahlo was asked to paint a portrait of Luce and Kahlo's mutual friend, actress Dorothy Hale, who had committed suicide earlier that year by jumping from a high-rise building. The painting was intended as a gift for Hale's grieving mother. Rather than a traditional portrait, however, Kahlo painted the story of Hale's tragic leap. While the work has been heralded by critics, its patron was horrified at the finished painting.

'The Two Fridas' (1939)

One of Kahlo’s most famous works, the painting shows two versions of the artist sitting side by side, with both of their hearts exposed. One Frida is dressed nearly all in white and has a damaged heart and spots of blood on her clothing. The other wears bold colored clothing and has an intact heart. These figures are believed to represent “unloved” and “loved” versions of Kahlo.

'The Broken Column' (1944)

Kahlo shared her physical challenges through her art again with this painting, which depicted a nearly nude Kahlo split down the middle, revealing her spine as a shattered decorative column. She also wears a surgical brace and her skin is studded with tacks or nails. Around this time, Kahlo had several surgeries and wore special corsets to try to fix her back. She would continue to seek a variety of treatments for her chronic physical pain with little success.

DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S FRIDA KAHLO FACT CARD

About a week after her 47th birthday, Kahlo died on July 13, 1954, at her beloved Blue House. There has been some speculation regarding the nature of her death. It was reported to be caused by a pulmonary embolism, but there have also been stories about a possible suicide.

Kahlo’s health issues became nearly all-consuming in 1950. After being diagnosed with gangrene in her right foot, Kahlo spent nine months in the hospital and had several operations during this time. She continued to paint and support political causes despite having limited mobility. In 1953, part of Kahlo’s right leg was amputated to stop the spread of gangrene.

Deeply depressed, Kahlo was hospitalized again in April 1954 because of poor health, or, as some reports indicated, a suicide attempt. She returned to the hospital two months later with bronchial pneumonia. No matter her physical condition, Kahlo did not let that stand in the way of her political activism. Her final public appearance was a demonstration against the U.S.-backed overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala on July 2nd.

Kahlo’s life was the subject of a 2002 film entitled Frida , starring Salma Hayek as the artist and Alfred Molina as Rivera. Directed by Julie Taymor, the film was nominated for six Academy Awards and won for Best Makeup and Original Score.

The family home where Kahlo was born and grew up, later referred to as the Blue House or Casa Azul, was opened as a museum in 1958. Located in Coyoacán, Mexico City, the Museo Frida Kahlo houses artifacts from the artist along with important works including Viva la Vida (1954), Frida and Caesarean (1931) and Portrait of my father Wilhelm Kahlo (1952).

Hayden Herrera’s 1983 book on Kahlo, Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo , helped to stir up interest in the artist. The biographical work covers Kahlo’s childhood, accident, artistic career, marriage to Diego Rivera, association with the communist party and love affairs.

Watch the 2024 documentary, titled Frida , about the artist's life on Amazon Prime Video.

We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

• I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.
• My painting carries with it the message of pain.
• I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.
• I think that, little by little, I'll be able to solve my problems and survive.
• The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.
• I was born a bitch. I was born a painter.
• I love you more than my own skin.
• I am not sick, I am broken, but I am happy as long as I can paint.
• Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?
• I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed with this decent and good feeling.
• There have been two great accidents in my life. One was the trolley and the other was Diego. Diego was by far the worst.
• I hope the end is joyful, and I hope never to return.

The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us

Watch Next .css-16toot1:after{background-color:#262626;color:#fff;margin-left:1.8rem;margin-top:1.25rem;width:1.5rem;height:0.063rem;content:'';display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;}

Famous Painters

Georgia O'Keeffe

11 Notable Artists from the Harlem Renaissance

Fernando Botero

Gustav Klimt

The Surreal Romance of Salvador and Gala Dalí

Salvador Dalí

Margaret Keane

Frida Kahlo biography

Considered one of Mexico's greatest artists, Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyocoan, Mexico City, Mexico. She grew up in the family's home where was later referred to as the Blue House or Casa Azul. Her father is a German descendant and photographer. He immigrated to Mexico where he met and married her mother Matilde. Her mother is half Amerindian and half Spanish. Frida Kahlo has two older sisters and one younger sister.

Frida Kahlo has poor health in her childhood. She contracted polio at the age of 6 and had to be bedridden for nine months. This disease caused her right leg and foot to grow much thinner than her left one. She limped after she recovered from polio. She has been wearing long skirts to cover that for the rest of her life. Her father encouraged her to do lots of sports to help her recover. She played soccer, went swimming, and even did wrestle, which is very unusual at that time for a girl. She has kept a very close relationship with her father for her whole life.

Frida Kahlo attended the renowned National Preparatory School in Mexico City in the year of 1922. There are only thirty-five female students enrolled in that school and she soon became famous for her outspokenness and bravery. At this school she first met the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera for the first time. Rivera at that time was working on a mural called The Creation on the school campus. Frida often watched it and she told a friend she will marry him someday.

In the same year, Kahlo joined a gang of students who shared similar political and intellectual views. She fell in love with the leader Alejandro Gomez Arias. On a September afternoon when she traveled with Gomez Arias on a bus the tragic accident happened. The bus collided with a streetcar and Frida Kahlo was seriously injured. A steel handrail impaled her through the hip. Her spine and pelvis are fractured and this accident left her in a great deal of pain, both physically and physiologically.

She was injured so badly and had to stay in the Red Cross Hospital in Mexico City for several weeks. After that, she returned home for further recovery. She had to wear full-body cast for three months. To kill the time and alleviate the pain, she started painting and finished her first self-portrait the following year. Frida Kahlo once said,

I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best".

Her parents encouraged her to paint and made a special easel made for her so she could paint in bed. They also gave her brushes and boxes of paints.

Frida Kahlo reconnected with Rivera in 1928. She asked him to evaluate her work and he encouraged her. The two soon started the romantic relationship. Despite her mother's objection, Frida and Diego Rivera got married in the next year. During their earlier years as a married couple, Frida had to move a lot based on Diego's work. In 1930, they lived in San Francisco, California. Then they moved to New York City for Rivera's artwork show at Museum of Modern Art . They later moved to Detroit while Diego Rivera worked for Detroit Institute of Arts .

In 1932, Kahlo added more realistic and surrealistic components in her painting style. In the painting titled Henry Ford Hospital(1932) , Frida Kahlo lied on a hospital bed naked and was surrounded with a few things floating around, which includes a fetus, a flower, a pelvis, a snail, all connected by veins. This painting was an expression of her feelings about her second miscarriage. It is as personal as her other self-portraits.

In 1933, Kahlo was living in New York City with her husband Diego Rivera. Rivera was commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller to create a mural named as Man at the Crossroads at Rockefeller Center. Rivera tried to include Vladimir Lenin in the painting, who is a communist leader. Rockefeller stopped his work and that part was painted over. The couple had to move back to Mexico after this incident. They returned and live in San Angel, Mexico.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's marriage is not a usual one. They had been keeping separate homes and studios for all those years. Diego had so many affairs and one of that was with Kahlo's sister Cristina. Frida Kahlo was so sad and she cut off her long hair to show her desperation to the betrayal. She has longed for children but she cannot bear one due to the bus accident. She was heartbroken when she experienced a second miscarriage in 1934. Kahlo and Rivera have been separated a few times but they always went back together. In 1937 they helped Leon Trotsky and his wife Natalia. Leon Trotsky is an exiled communist and rival of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Kahlo and Rivera welcomed the couple together and let them stay at her Blue House. Kahlo also had a brief affair with Leon Trotsky when the couple stayed at her house.

In 1938, Frida Kahlo became a friend of André Breton, who is one of the primary figures of the Surrealism movement. Frida said she never considered herself as a Surrealist "until André Breton came to Mexico and told me I was one." She also wrote, "Really I do not know whether my paintings are surrealist or not, but I do know that they are the frankest expression of myself". "Since my subjects have always been my sensations, my states of mind and the profound reactions that life has been producing in me, I have frequently objectified all this in figures of myself, which were the most sincere and real thing that I could do in order to express what I felt inside and outside of myself."

In the same year, she had an exhibition at New York City gallery. She sold some of her paintings and got two commissions. One of that is from Clare Boothe Luce to paint her friend Dorothy Hale who committed suicide. She painted The Suicide of Dorothy Hale (1939), which tells the story of Dorothy's tragic leap. The patron Luce was horrified and almost destroyed this painting.

The next year, 1939, Kahlo was invited by André Breton and went to Paris. Her works are exhibited there and she is befriended with artists such as Marc Chagall , Piet Mondrian , and Pablo Picasso . She and Rivera got divorced that year and she painted one of her most famous paintings, The Two Fridas (1939).

But soon Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera remarried in 1940. The second marriage is about the same as the first one. They still keep separate lives and houses. Both of them had infidelities with other people during the marriage. Kahlo received a commission from the Mexican government for five portraits of important Mexican women in 1941, but she was unable to finish the project. She lost her beloved father that year and continued to suffer from chronic health problems. Despite her personal challenges, her work continued to grow in popularity and was included in numerous group shows around this time.

In the year of 1944, Frida Kahlo painted one of her most famous portraits, The Broken Column . In this painting, she depicted herself naked and split down the middle. Her spine is shattered like a column. She wears a surgical brace and there are nails all through her body, which is the indication of the consistent pain she went through. In this painting, Frida expressed her physical challenges through her art. During that time, she had a few surgeries and had to wear special corsets to protect her back spine. She seeks lots of medical treatment for her chronic pain but nothing really worked.

Her health condition has been worsening in 1950. That year she was diagnosed with gangrene in her right foot. She became bedridden for the next nine month and had to stay in hospital and had several surgeries. But with great persistence, Frida Kahlo continued to work and paint. In the year of 1953, she had a solo exhibition in Mexican. Although she had limited mobility at that time, she showed up on the exhibition's opening ceremony. She arrived by ambulance, and welcomed the attendees, celebrated the ceremony in a bed the gallery set up for her. A few months later, she had to accept another surgery. Part of her right leg got amputated to stop the gangrene.

With the poor physical condition, she is also deeply depressed. She even had an inclination for suicide. Frida Kahlo has been out and in hospital during that year. But despite her health issues, she has been active with the political movement. She showed up at the demonstration against US-backed overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala on July 2. This is her last public appearance. About one week after her 47th birthday, Frida Kahlo passed away at her beloved Bule House. She was publicly reported to die of a pulmonary embolism, but there is speculation which was saying she died of a possible suicide.

Frida Kahlo's fame has been growing after her death. Her Blue House was opened as a museum in the year of 1958. In the 1970s the interest in her work and life is renewed due to the feminist movement since she was viewed as an icon of female creativity. In 1983, Hayden Herrera published his book on her, A Biography of Frida Kahlo , which drew more attention from the public to this great artist. In the year of 2002, a movie named Frida was released, staring alma Hayek as Frida Kahlo and Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera. This movie was nominated for six Academy Awards and won for Best Makeup and Original Score.

The Two Fridas

Self-portrait with thorn necklace & hummingbird, viva la vida, watermelons, the wounded deer, self portrait with monkeys, without hope, me and my parrots, what the water gave me, frida and diego rivera, the wounded table, diego and i, my dress hangs there, henry ford hospital, self portrait as a tehuana, fulang chang and i.

Frida-una Biografía De Frida Kahlo Puntos destacados del libro completo

Frida-una Biografía De Frida Kahlo

"Frida: Una biografía de Frida Kahlo" es un retrato íntimo de una de las artistas más importantes e influyentes del siglo XX. El libro explora la vida de Frida, desde su infancia y su matrimonio con Diego Rivera hasta sus luchas con la salud física y mental, su activismo político y sus logros artísticos. A través de la descripción y el estudio detallado de su vida, los lectores pueden comprender mejor la personalidad única de Frida, su visión artística y su perdurable legado. Este libro es una lectura obligada para cualquier persona interesada en el arte, la historia o la vida de una mujer extraordinaria que superó inmensos retos para convertirse en un icono perdurable de fortaleza y resistencia.

Introducción | Capítulo 1

Hola, bienvenidos a Bookey. Hoy vamos a desvelar Frida: Una biografía de Frida Kahlo por Hayden Herrera.

Es una artista legendaria y respetada en la que nos centraremos a partir de este momento.

Es la mujer con la espesa uniceja cruzándole la frente en sus autorretratos.

Es una artista con una trenza de flores en la cabeza que apareció cuatro veces en la famosa película mexicana Coco.

Es un icono de la moda a quien la famosa cantante Madonna adora y a menudo imita.

El retrato de su cabeza está impreso en el reverso del peso mexicano. Sus obras de arte se han expuesto en prestigiosos museos como el Louvre, e incluso el famoso artista Picasso admitió que su obra era inferior a la de ella después de ver uno de sus autorretratos. Sus admiradores abarcan los continentes de América Latina y Europa. Su composición Viva La Vida fue utilizada como título de una canción por el grupo musical Coldplay.

¿Le suena familiar ahora? Ella es Frida Kahlo. Reconocida como la representante femenina moderna del arte vanguardista de México en el siglo XX, creó 143 obras en vida, 55 de las cuales son autorretratos.

Pero su vida no fue tranquila. Sufrió poliomielitis cuando tenía 6 años. Un accidente de coche a los 18 la dejó con un hueso destrozado y 32 operaciones. Se casó a los 22 y se divorció a los 32. Tuvo tres abortos espontáneos en su vida. Volvió a casarse a los 33 y murió a los 47.

Su historia es cautivadora y emocionante, llena de una fuerza única nacida del sufrimiento. Su vida fue una notable obra de arte, al igual que sus cuadros. A pesar de sus múltiples contradicciones, la indefinible naturaleza de Frida y su audaz voz siguen cautivándonos e inspirándonos. Su poderoso mensaje, que no puede silenciarse, sigue resonando entre la gente hoy en día. Con sus retratos y obras de arte todavía ampliamente reconocidos y celebrados, el legado de Frida sigue siendo atemporal y significativo en el mundo del arte y más allá.

Information

• Show BOOKEY Book Summary and Review
• Published March 10, 2023 at 5:25 AM UTC
• Length 12 min
• Rating Clean

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Africa, Middle East, and India

• Brunei Darussalam
• Burkina Faso
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
• Guinea-Bissau
• Niger (English)
• Congo, Republic of
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• Tanzania, United Republic Of
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates

Asia Pacific

• Indonesia (English)
• Lao People's Democratic Republic
• Malaysia (English)
• Micronesia, Federated States of
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Solomon Islands
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• France (Français)
• Deutschland
• Luxembourg (English)
• Moldova, Republic Of
• North Macedonia
• Portugal (Português)
• Türkiye (English)
• United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina (Español)
• Bolivia (Español)
• Virgin Islands, British
• Cayman Islands
• Chile (Español)
• Colombia (Español)
• Costa Rica (Español)
• República Dominicana
• Ecuador (Español)
• El Salvador (Español)
• Guatemala (Español)
• Honduras (Español)
• Nicaragua (Español)
• Paraguay (Español)
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• St. Vincent and The Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos
• Uruguay (English)
• Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

• Canada (English)
• Canada (Français)
• United States
• Estados Unidos (Español México)
• الولايات المتحدة
• États-Unis (Français France)
• Estados Unidos (Português Brasil)
• 美國 (繁體中文台灣)

• Children's Books
• Arts, Music & Photography

Sorry, there was a problem.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

The Story of Frida Kahlo: An Inspiring Biography for Young Readers (The Story of Biographies) Paperback – March 3, 2020

Discover the life of Frida Kahlo―a story about strength, creativity, and never giving up for kids ages 6 to 9

Frida Kahlo is one of the most famous and celebrated artists who has ever lived. Before she made history with her beautiful paintings and brave spirit, she went through a life-changing accident that would have made many people want to give up. Instead, Frida fought to overcome her setbacks and follow her passions. In this Frida Kahlo children's book, you'll explore how Frida went from being a young girl in a small Mexican town to an artist who is beloved all around the world.

• Independent reading ―This Frida Kahlo biography is broken down into short chapters and simple language so kids 6 to 9 can read and learn on their own.
• Critical thinking ―Kids will learn the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of Frida's life, find definitions of new words, discussion questions, and more.
• A lasting legacy ―Find out how Frida inspired the world with her unique and colorful paintings, as well as her strength of character.

How will Frida's creativity and can-do attitude inspire you?

Discover activists, artists, athletes, and more from across history with the rest of the Story Of series, including famous figures like: Marie Curie, Selena Quintanilla, Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, and Jane Goodall.

• Part of series The Story of Biographies
• Print length 62 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 1 - 2
• Lexile measure 820L
• Dimensions 5.83 x 0.14 x 8.27 inches
• Publisher Callisto Kids
• Publication date March 3, 2020
• ISBN-10 1646111605
• ISBN-13 978-1646111602
• See all details

From the Publisher

Look into the life of Frida:

Meet more inspiring women by picking up another book in the series or the entire box set.

Editorial Reviews

About the author.

Susan B. Katz is an author, National Board-Certified Teacher, and educational consultant. She has taught for more than 25 years and has five published books, including My Mama Earth and All Year Round . Visit her online at SusanKatzBooks.com.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Callisto Kids (March 3, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 62 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1646111605
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1646111602
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 7 - 11 years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 820L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 1 - 2
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.99 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.83 x 0.14 x 8.27 inches
• #9 in Children's Art Biographies (Books)
• #25 in Children's Painting Books (Books)
• #65 in Children's Women Biographies (Books)

About the author

Susan b. katz.

Susan B. Katz is an award-winning of over 60 children's books. She is a Spanish bilingual author, National Board Certified Teacher, educational consultant, and social media strategist. As a former bilingual educator of over 25 years, Susan incorporates props, puppets and multimedia into her presentations making them interactive and engaging. Susan has published books with Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Capstone, Lerner, Bala Kids, and Little Bee. MEDITATION STATION won the International Book Award for Best Children's Mind/Body/Spirit title. THE STORY OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG hit #18 on Amazon overall and #9 among all kids books. ALL YEAR ROUND was named "Best New Book" by The Children's Book Review. She translated it into Spanish as Un Año Redondo. MY MAMA EARTH (Barefoot Books), won the Moonbeam Gold Award for Best Picture Book as well as being named "Top Green Toy" by Education.com. Her most recent book, GAUDI: ARCHITECT OF IMAGINATION got a Starred Review from School Library Journal. Susan is also the Founder and Executive Director of www.ConnectingAuthors.org, a national non-profit bringing children's book authors and illustrators into schools and libraries as role models of literacy and the arts. Ms. Katz served as the Strategic Partner Manager for Authors at Facebook. When she's not writing, Susan enjoys salsa dancing and spending time at the beach. She is also an avid wildlife photographer: www.behance.net/susanbkatz Her website is: www.susankatzbooks.com

Related books

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 88% 8% 3% 0% 1% 88%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 88% 8% 3% 0% 1% 8%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 88% 8% 3% 0% 1% 3%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 88% 8% 3% 0% 1% 0%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 88% 8% 3% 0% 1% 1%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the book's content great, easy to read, and insightful. They also appreciate the beautiful illustrations and storyline, which is age-appropriate.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book's content interesting, informative, and enjoyable. They also say it provides a great overview of Frida and is easy to read.

"... Educational , yet, visually, fun." Read more

" These books are great ! They feel nice, great illustrations, easy to read and even have a little quiz in the back...." Read more

"Illustrated nicely and informative at an age 6-8yr level" Read more

"...It also listed key facts from each chapter and how it pertains to the reader’s life.Overall I was impressed with this book...." Read more

Customers find the illustrations in the book nicely illustrated, well written, and insightful.

"...The illustrations are wonderful , and the reading level pretty good for her age. Educational, yet, visually, fun." Read more

"These books are great! They feel nice, great illustrations , easy to read and even have a little quiz in the back...." Read more

" Illustrated nicely and informative at an age 6-8yr level" Read more

"...Completely accessible overview of Frida in a fun and beautifully illustrated book ." Read more

Customers find the storyline great for children to learn about the ups and downs of Frida's life. They also say it's a fun and beautifully illustrated book.

"...Educational, yet, visually, fun ." Read more

"...Completely accessible overview of Frida in a fun and beautifully illustrated book." Read more

" Great story for children to learn about the ups and downs of Frida’s life. Age appropriate. Interesting...." Read more

" Amazing biography for young readers !..." Read more

Reviews with images

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• About Amazon
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell products on Amazon
• Sell on Amazon Business
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Become an Affiliate
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Make Money with Us
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Amazon and COVID-19
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices

• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices