Frida Kahlo de Rivera was not only an internationally renowned artist from Mexico, but also one of the few globally famous women in art. Revolutionary, nonconformist, lame, surrealist – she has many labels, but above all, she is unique.
Her life was anything but quiet, and it has already been featured in several artist biographies and art films. But do you really know everything about her story?
In this article, we reveal 12 important facts about this extraordinary artist that you may not have known.
Here are some important events in the life of Frida Kahlo :
1907: Born in Mexico
1913: Contracted polio
1922: Attended the National Preparatory School
1925: Serious injury in a bus accident
1926: At the age of 19, she paints her first self-portrait, the Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress
1929: Marriage to the artist Diego Rivera/li>
1939: Her divorce from Rivera. In the same year, she paints her famous painting The Two Fridas.
1940: Remarriage to Diego Rivera
1941: The painting "Me and My Parrots" is created.
1953: First solo exhibition in her native Mexico; Kahlo was already bedridden at this time
1954: Kahlo dies – presumably from a pulmonary embolism
However, she often claimed her birthday was July 7, 1910. This was not intended to make the artist appear younger, but rather the Mexican Revolution , which began in 1910. Kahlo was a political activist throughout her career, and she reflected her beliefs in a variety of ways.
2. She was not entirely of Mexican descent
Kahlo became an embodiment of Mexican culture, especially indigenous culture, but she herself was not entirely Mexican.
Her father was born Carl Wilhelm Kahlo in Germany, either of Jewish and Hungarian descent, as Frida claimed, or from a long line of German Lutherans, as some recent research argues.
Frida's mother, Matilde Calderon, was of indigenous Mexican and Spanish descent.
3. Frida originally did not want to become an artist
Frida's mother, Matilde, was a very religious woman, and Frida's upbringing was strict. Later, she described her mother as "kind, active, and intelligent, but also calculating, cruel, and fanatically religious.".
Frida was particularly close to her father and would spend days helping him in his photography studio, where she developed a taste for art. But although she loved helping her father and even took drawing lessons from a family friend, she never really considered pursuing a career as an artist.
Instead, she was fascinated by natural sciences and biology and dreamed of becoming a doctor one day.
4. Frida was six when a bout of polio resulted in a disability
When Frida was growing up, polio epidemics were still relatively common. When she was six years old, she contracted the virus. This resulted in her right leg becoming thinner and shorter than her left. To conceal this, Kahlo wore the long, colorful skirts for which she is now known.
She later used the style of her skirts not only to conceal her legs, but also to make a statement, transforming herself into a living canvas and each outfit into a work of art. Furthermore, her skirts were often traditional Mexican garments that highlighted her heritage and love for her country.
Because of her illness, Frida had to stay away from school for months. When she returned to class after such a long absence, the other children wanted nothing to do with her and bullied her for the limp that now characterized her gait.
But Frida's father was there to help his daughter recover after her illness. Although many at the time said that physical exercise was "unsuitable" for girls, her father urged her to go outside and play sports, which helped her regain her strength.
Despite setbacks, Frida was accepted into a prestigious Mexican school at the age of 16. She was one of 35 accepted students out of 2,000 applicants.
5. A serious accident changed her life
When Frida was 18, she was riding with her boyfriend in a wooden bus when it collided with a tram. Remembering the tragedy, her boyfriend described the bus as having "burst into a thousand pieces" .
Frida was nearly killed in the accident when an iron handrail penetrated her hip and exited on the other side. She also suffered 11 fractures to her spine, collarbone, ribs, pelvis, and right leg, and dislocated her shoulder.
Although she eventually recovered, she had to undergo more than 30 operations in her life to alleviate her spinal injuries, and she lived with chronic pain.
Frida's long recovery, however, was the pivotal moment when she began to paint. Her father lent her his oil paints and brushes, while her mother commissioned a special easel so that Kahlo could paint in her hospital bed and had a mirror placed in the canopy, which enabled Kahlo to paint self-portraits.
6. She made her injuries and disabilities the subject of her artwork
During her lifetime, Frida Kahlo created 143 paintings, including 55 self-portraits. Kahlo once said:
I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best
Her raw and emotional self-portraits often showed both her physical and psychological wounds from her life and accident, with themes such as pain, disability, injury, and fragility.
One of her most famous paintings, The Broken Column , depicts her shattered spine, which looks like an earthquake fissure.
The Broken Column by Frida Kahlo is an oil-on-Masonite painting by the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, painted in 1944, shortly after she underwent spinal surgery to correct persistent problems resulting from a serious car accident when she was 18. Image source: Ambra75, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Another, Without Hope , depicts a time in her life when Frida had lost her appetite and her doctor prescribed forced feeding of a fattening gruel every two hours.
Much of Kahlo's work reflects the pain and suffering she endured throughout her life. Without Hope is no exception.
She even showed one of the several miscarriages she had experienced – probably due to the accident that had damaged her uterus and made pregnancy impossible.
7. She perfected the self-portrait
Frida Kahlo's disability forced her to abandon her ambitions of becoming a doctor. Her salvation? Art. To help their daughter cope with her accident, her parents commissioned a custom-made easel that she could use while lying down. This helped protect her fragile spine.
Self-portraits occupy a very important place in her work, comprising approximately 55 of the 150 paintings she created. By making herself the subject, she expresses her suffering, and painting becomes a voice for her pain. Decades before the selfie, she revolutionized the self-portrait in a unique and intimate way.
For her, hiding her anxieties, which are an integral part of her life, is out of the question. Other artists like Van Gogh or Rembrandt also portrayed themselves under fragile or extreme conditions, leaving no doubt about the fragility of their mental health.
Many of her self-portraits are raw depictions of her life, her thoughts, her pain, and her legacy. They contain symbolism and deeper meanings that elevate her art.
Frida Kahlo's self-portraits are among the most beautiful ever created. Her most famous self-portrait is perhaps the Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird .
Frida Kahlo painted this iconic self-portrait with a thorn necklace and hummingbird in 1940 as an oil on canvas. She created it after her divorce from her Mexican artist colleague Diego Rivera and her separation from her lover Nikolas Muray. Image source: Ambra75, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
8. She had two turbulent marriages with the famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera
In 1927, when Frida was 20 years old, she had admired the work of the famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera for many years. When she finally met him, despite a 20-year age difference, the two quickly fell in love, prompting Diego to leave his second wife and marry Frida in 1929. It was Rivera's third marriage. Frida Kahlo now became Frida Kahlo de Rivera .
People often referred to the pair as "The Elephant and the Dove" .
Frida Kahlo, Frida and Diego Rivera (1931)
Frida's 10-year marriage to Diego was turbulent, as both had multiple affairs. Frida had affairs with both men and women. Diego was chronically unfaithful and even had an affair with Frida's younger favorite sister, Cristina, which infuriated her and ultimately led to her separation from the promiscuous painter.
Rivera was a fellow artist and communist, and they spent much of their marriage traveling together through Mexico and the United States.
They divorced in 1939 but remarried a year later. Although her second marriage was just as difficult as the first, Frida remained married to Diego until her death.
She once bitterly referred to him as an artistic companion, a friend in spirit and a supporter, but made it clear that he was never a husband.
9. Frida was bisexual and had numerous affairs
Frida Kahlo was bisexual and had numerous affairs with men and women.
She also had an affair with the founder of the Red Army, the famous Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky , who came to Mexico seeking political asylum from the Soviet Union. He initially stayed with Rivera and later had an affair with Kahlo. Kahlo created a painting titled Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky to commemorate their brief affair.
But that's not all; she and the French artist Josephine Baker also had an affair.
In the mid-20th century, Frida was a polyamorous pioneer , free from complexes.
10. Frida was a political woman and a committed communist
As her health gradually improved, Frida Kahlo the Mexican Communist Party The politics of her country were unstable at the time, and she decided to do her part. In 1937, she offered political asylum to the communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky and his wife.
Her goals were clear: she wanted to improve the situation of Mexican women. She fought for their emancipation. In a patriarchal society, she tried to be the voice of oppressed women.
She quickly adopted the role of a "modern woman" and was no longer ashamed of her bisexuality.
Using painting as a means of conveying her political messages, she boldly made her anti-American stance known in her 1932 self-portrait on the border between Mexico and the United States.
11. Frida Kahlo was a close friend of the American artist Georgia O'Keeffe
The two painters met in December 1931 at the opening of Rivera's major solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
According to one of Rivera's assistants, the famous muralist later boasted that his wife had flirted with O'Keeffe. Frida Kalo writes a few letters to Georgia O'Keeffe —an artistic rock star almost twice her age, whom she had befriended while living in New York.
12. She rarely smiled
Frida Kahlo generally displays the same emotions in her self-portraits. Usually depicted from a distance, she never seems to smile.
The reason why? Apparently, she hated her smile and her teeth.
13. She was imprisoned for murder
In 1940, Frida Kahlo found herself imprisoned in Mexico City. Why?
Because she was suspected Leon Trotsky , a Ukrainian-Russian Marxist revolutionary considered an architect of the Russian Revolution. Trotsky was forced into exile by Joseph Stalin. Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, were supporters of the Communist Party, and Rivera persuaded the Mexican president to grant Trotsky and his wife asylum in Mexico in 1937.
During this time, Kahlo gave Trotsky a portrait of herself. She and Trotsky were also rumored to be lovers, which fueled the controversy surrounding them. Trotsky eventually left Kahlo's home in 1939 and was assassinated the following year. Kahlo was briefly imprisoned in connection with the assassination attempt before being released. The real assassin was Ramón Mercader , a Spanish communist and agent of the Soviet Union.
14. She surrounded herself with exotic pets
Frida Kahlo suppressed her loneliness with a variety of exotic animals that found their way into her paintings. She not only painted herself surrounded by monkeys , but also owned numerous unusual furry friends, including spider monkeys, a fawn, an Amazon parrot , an eagle, macaws, parakeets, chickens, sparrows, and a rare breed of hairless dog called the Mexican Ixquintle, whose ancestors could be traced back to the Aztecs.
She loved surrounding herself with animals that reflected her Mesoamerican heritage.
15. She arrived at her first solo exhibition in Mexico in an ambulance and in a hospital bed
Over the years, Frida's health deteriorated, and she spent her last years in the hospital, with less and less time outside. She now mainly used a wheelchair or crutches to get around. Despite this, she continued to paint.
Wheelchair in Frida Kahlo's Blue House in Coyoacan, Mexico City. Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In 1953, towards the end of her short life, Frida was looking forward to opening her first solo exhibition in Mexico.
At that time, she was on bed rest by doctor's orders, and no one expected her to make it. However, she made sure she was there.
She arrived at the gallery in an ambulance and requested that she be brought on a stretcher and placed in a bed where she could enjoy the opening.
16. Her life was short; she died at 47
Just a few months after opening her gallery, Frida's health deteriorated, and her right leg was eventually amputated due to gangrene at the knee. She became depressed and anxious, and her dependence on painkillers worsened.
In her final days, Kahlo had been largely bedridden due to bronchopneumonia. Despite this, she participated in a demonstration against the CIA invasion of Guatemala and spoke at it. Afterwards, her illness worsened, and that night she had a high fever and was in extreme pain.
On this night in 1954, Frida Kahlo de Rivera died at the age of 47. It is reported that she died of a pulmonary embolism, but some suspect she may have died by suicide or an overdose.
Day of the Dead Altar for Frida Kahlo in Orizaba Isaacvp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A few days before her death, she wrote in her diary:
“I hope the departure is joyful – and I hope never to return” – Frida.
17. She was born and died in her parents' house, Casa Azul
This Blue House has become a must-see for all art lovers in Mexico. Today, the Frida Kahlo Museum“La Casa Azul” in the center of Coyocán . It is the place where she was born in 1910 (?) and where she died in 1954.
Facade of the famous Frida Kahlo Museum (La Casa Azul). When the photo was taken, people were queuing to enter. Daniela Magallán Ramírez, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Her ashes rest on her bed in an urn shaped like her face.
18. She appeared on the cover of Vogue long after her death
Frida Kahlo was interviewed and featured in American Vogue in 1937. However, she did not appear on the cover of Vogue until 2012, in a photograph taken by Nickolas Muray in 1939.
The image shows her in her iconic flowing Mexican skirts and scarves, complete with her signature hairstyle woven with metallic bouquets of flowers. Simply placed in the center of the frame, the image embodies Kahlo's vibrant cultural creativity and enduring legacy.
19. She was depicted on a banknote
Apart from her self-portraits, Frida Kahlo's image has endured decades after her death. Her face, as well as that of her husband Diego Rivera, appeared on the 500-peso notein 2010 .
500 peso banknote featuring Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Source: fridakahlo.org
The banknote marked the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution .
It contained the Rivera quote:
It has been said that the revolution doesn't need art, but that art needs the revolution. That's not true. The revolution needs revolutionary art
The peso notes remained in circulation until 2018.
20. Her work “Roots” set a record for a Latin American artwork in 2006
Frida Kahlo was a central figure in the Neo-Mexicanismo art movement in Mexico, which emerged in the 1970s. Her art has been called folk art due to its traditional elements, and some call it surrealist, although Kahlo herself said:
They thought I was a surrealist, but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality
In May 2006, her self-portrait Roots sold for 5.6 million US dollars, setting an auction record for a Latin American work of art.
21. Her fame came a few decades after her death
Kahlo was successful during her lifetime, but her work at that time was often dismissed as that of "Diego Rivera's wife" .
Her work only gained widespread recognition several years after her death. Her reputation grew in the 1970s and reached what some critics "Fridamania" or "Frida-Mania" .
Over the years, her work has continued to increase in value, and her famous piece Two Nudes in a Forest was sold for $8 million in 2016.
Her life, including the bus accident, the turbulent marriage, the love affairs, and her heavy alcohol and drug use, has inspired many books and films over the years, including the 2002 biographical film "Frida" starring Salma Hayek .
22. Frida's painting is the first work by a 20th-century Mexican artist to be purchased by an internationally renowned museum
In 1939, the Louvre purchased Kahlo's The Frame , making it the first work by a Mexican artist to be acquired by an internationally renowned museum. Despite this achievement, Kahlo was known for most of her life and the 20th century as the wife of Diego Rivera, whom she married in 1929.
Since the 1980s, however, Kahlo has been recognized for her own merits. Several biographies have been written and films made about her life. Her former home, La Casa Azul , is now a museum.
The largest exhibition of her paintings , held last summer to mark her 100th birthday, broke all visitor records at the Mexican Museum of Fine Arts in Mexico City, even though it was only open for two months.
23. Two famous films were made about her life
Numerous articles, books and documentaries have been written about Kahlo's life and art, including the bestseller Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo (1983) by Hayden Herrera .
The film "Frida, naturaleza viva" was released in 1983 and was a great success. In 2002, another biographical film, "Frida ," starring Salma Hayek, grossed over 50 million US dollars and won two Oscars.
24. She is a style icon and a celebrated figurehead for feminism and the LGBTQ community
Anyone who sees Frida as a disabled, neglected, unattractive woman should reconsider. She was and is a beauty icon , especially in her time. A strong, avant-garde woman, a muse, a model, and a leader whom many women looked up to. No wonder she became a source of inspiration for artists and stylists .
Her face is a masterpiece in itself. She designed her own hairstyles and adorned them with woolen threads, colorful ribbons, and flowers. Red lips, a single brow (strongly emphasized in all her paintings), and a confident expression on her face—no one can remain indifferent to her ultra-individual style.
Frida Kahlo's work also questions the relationship between women and their bodies. First, she was struck by illness. Then, her abdominal muscles tore. This left her infertile, unable to conceive a child.
After her death, the rise of feminism in the 1970s led to Frida becoming a feminist and LGBTQI icon.
Frida's work has been widely praised for being deeply personal and offering insight into the female experience. She has also been commended for capturing her natural unibrow and other facial hair, which for many speak to gender roles and body positivity.
Her openness about her sexuality – she was bisexual – and her gender-neutral clothing made her an icon in the LGBTQI+ community. Her passionate pride in her Mexican roots also made her a source of pride for many in her culture.
Frida Kahlo: A lasting legacy
She embraced her feminism, her heritage, and her sexuality , pushing the boundaries of life and transforming her pain into beautiful, poetic art.
Learn more about art history and movements and the lasting legacy of creativity by exploring the biography of this fascinating artist and personality.
Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the fields of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Graduated with a degree in web design from university (2008). Further developed creative techniques through courses in freehand drawing, expressive painting, and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market gained through years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with key players and institutions in the arts and culture sector.
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Natural-colored indoor standing relief "Spazio", sculptural wooden art as a decorative object & room divider
115,00 €
