Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954) was a Mexican painter born in Coyoacán, Mexico.

Kahlo created works of art that often reflected her own troubled personal life and marriage to renowned Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. She was most well-known for her brightly-colored self portraits and still life paintings.

Kahlo did not originally intended on becoming a painter. She survived polio at age 6 and entered a pre-medical program in Mexico City at age 15. But, three years later, she was seriously injured in a bus accident - an accident that would cause her physical suffering for the remainder of her life. It was during the initial recovery from this accident, she began to paint.

At age 21, Kahlo met Diego Rivera, and the two were married in 1929. Their marriage was rocky; adultery on both sides, divorce, and a remarriage. Frida oftentimes used her matrimonial turbulence as inspiration for her paintings.

Frida’s artwork became especially popular after her death. In 2002, Hollywood honored her with a biographical film with actress Selma Hayek portraying Kahlo.

© ProjectExplorer.org, 2010
Text by Amanda Williams
Image by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, 19 March 1932. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Van Vechten Collection.