Frida Kahlo: Her Universe

Frida Kahlo: Her Universe – The iconic Mexican painter seen through nearly 300 archival pieces, from her wardrobe to her personal art collection.

This collection presents the rich diversity of themes, ideas, concepts and emotions generated around two fundamental and emblematic figures of modern Mexico: the painter Frida Kahlo and her husband, the muralist Diego Rivera. More than 300 images from the archives of the Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico City offer readers a glimpse into Frida Kahlo’s distinctive wardrobe and the impressive collections of popular and pre-Hispanic art that she and Rivera assembled, her connection to photography, and the history of La casa azul, her beloved blue house that now serves as the museum’s main building. This volume welcomes us into the world of Frida Kahlo, exploring the legacy of a key figure in the world of twentieth-century art and culture, in her native Mexico and around the world.

Frida Kahlo (1907-54) began painting at the age of 18, when she was immobilized for several months following a bus accident that left her permanently disabled. From that point on, art has been an immense source of healing for Kahlo, as well as a means of personal expression and cultural exploration. At the heart of Kahlo’s practice was her love for the Mexican folk tradition, her ardent communist beliefs, and her complex relationship with her body, gender, and sexuality. A lifelong activist, Kahlo died of a pulmonary embolism after participating in a protest against the CIA invasion of Guatemala.