Biography
With about 200 paintings and receiving the National Prize of Arts and Sciences from the Ministry of Public Education, Kahlo established one of the most original artworks in history; which led to her being one of the most brilliant artists of all time.
Frida Kahlo’s famous paintings that resembled her life hardships were “My grandparents”, “My parents, and I (Family tree)”, “Roots”, “Without Hope”, “The Broken Column”, “The Two Fridas”, “Self Portrait With Cropped Hair”, “Henry Ford Hospital”, “Diego y yo” etc.
In fact, Frida Kahlo's most expensive painting, “Diego y yo'', has a price of $34.9 million. Her art attracts so many, yet Frida didn't like selling her art throughout her life. Having all the attention brought to her husband Diego, she treasured her paintings as a part of herself.
Born and raised in Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico on July 6, 1907, Kahlo’s creativity took its turn. Frida’s father, Guillermo Kahlo, was a photographer but also an art enthusiast. He passed on his passion for art to Frida when she recovering after a traumatic accident. Frida will find a reason to paint even under the worst circumstances, such as being under hospitality after experiencing a bus accident in 1925 that caused her to break her ribs, pelvis, spinal column, and collarbone. This was a very hard time for Frida; her parents didn’t have a lot of money to pay her medical bills and she wasn’t able to walk. Painting helped distract her from her problems.
After surgeries, medications, physical therapy sessions Kahlo was able to walk again. Frida always had the passion to be her own person, and she demonstrated that through her art; therefore one day she went to go talk to the artist she admired, Diego Rivera. A famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera was a passionate artist who stood up for what he believed in. At the time, there was a lot of conflict regarding Mexican society and the revolution of 1910. Diego and Frida believed in this cause and stood for it through their art. Frida, that day, went to show him her art, soon they will be married.
Diego and Frida began dating in 1928, but their relationship wasn’t all so well. Although Diego and Frida will travel the world together dedicating themselves to their beliefs and art, Diego will cheat on her. Frida will demonstrate her pain through art, such as the “Self Portrait With Cropped Hair”. Both were invested in following the movement called Mexicanada, a movement that was dedicated to celebrating indigenous culture after the revolution. Frida loved to demonstrate her culture through fashion and art.
Living through disabilities after the bus accident caused Frida to be in pain many times throughout her life. Her art showed her pain due to injuries. The painting “The Broken Column” shows her psychological health and her physical state of being. Around this period, Rivera and Kahlo divorced and married a year later. During this time, Frida painted her self-portrait “The Two Fridas” which symbolizes two versions of herself and a sense of loss.
Frida had her first solo exhibit in Mexico in 1953 at the Galería Arte Mexicano. One year later, Frida died at the age of 47 due to a pulmonary embolism. As the years go by after her death, her name has risen in popularity. Her uniqueness has drawn the attention of many people around the world. Frida Kahlo screamed her creativity, paint, beliefs, and passion through her art.