The Riveting Rosies

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Frida Kahlo was a 20th century Mexican artist, celebrated for her autobiographical paintings & continues to be a symbol of the feminist, LGBTQ+, & Chicano causes.

Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón, better known as Frida Kahlo, was a Mexican painter, political activist, & icon.
Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyoacán, Mexico. Her father Guillermo Kahlo was German & her mother Matilde Calderon y Gonzalez was a mestiza (Spanish & Indigenous descent). Frida had 2 older half sisters from her father’s first marriage & was the 3rd of 4 daughters that her parents had.
Frida grew up at La Casa Azul, the family home in Coyoacán, which is located outside Mexico City.
The Mexican Revolution began in 1910, & Frida recalled hearing gunfire & soldiers jumping into their backyard.
Frida contracted polio at 6 years old, which left her right leg smaller than her left. She hid this by wearing skirts for much of her life.
- One resource noted that she might have also experienced spina bifida which may have also contributed too.
- Kahlo later recalled that due to polio, she spent much time away from her peers & a lot of time with her father who taught her about photography, art, philosophy, nature, & also encouraged her to play sports in order to regain her strength. In school, Frida participated in several sports, including boxing.
- Once she enrolled in school, she began a bit later than her peers. She went to kindergarten & primary school with her sister. Kahlo was homeschooled for 5th & 6th grade, then attended a German school per her father’s wishes. However, this was brief because she was expelled due to disobedience. She then went to a vocational teachers school, but quickly left after she was sexually abused by a teacher.
In 1922, Kahlo enrolled in an elite Mexican school called the Preparatoria, one of only 35 girls (of 2000 total students)
- Frida was an excellent student, read voraciously, & became very immersed in the indigenismo identity (Mexican identity that prided itself in its indigenous heritage, & wished to rid itself of colonial European mindset).
- Frida formed a club called the Cachucas with 9 schoolmates – several went on to become leading elite Mexican intellectuals.
  - Apparently this group pulled lots of pranks, rebelled against all things conservative, put on plays & debates.
- Frida fell in love with Alejandro Gomez Arias, who was the group leader.
- At this time, Frida was planning to attend medical school after high school graduation.
At 18 years old, Frida was riding the bus home from school with Alejandro when it collided with a streetcar, leaving her in a body cast for 3 months
- Several people died in this accident, & Alejandro suffered minor damages.
- Frida was impaled with an iron handrail through her pelvis – Alejandro along with help from others removed the handrail
- She suffered a fractured pelvis, punctured abdomen & uterus, broken spine, broken R leg, crushed & dislocated R foot, broken clavicle, & dislocated shoulder.
- This accident left Frida in chronic pain & suffering illness for the rest of her life.
Frida’s bedrest ended in 1927, & she began to spend time with friends & her community again. She joined the Mexican Communist Party & began socializing with a variety of political activists & artists.
- At one such party, she met Diego Rivera (they previously crossed paths when he painted a mural at her school in 1922, but they were officially introduced in 1928).
- He was impressed with her art right away (obviously).
- They soon began a relationship (despite Diego being 20 years older than Frida & already having 2 common-law wives)
- They were married on August 21, 1929 in a civil ceremony at the Coyoacán town hall.
  - Her parents referred to the union as “a marriage between an elephant & a dove” – Mom did not approve, but Dad approved because Diego could financially support Frida, since she couldn’t work due to her injuries & needing expensive medical treatment.
  - Since Diego was quite famous at the time, the press reported on the wedding & they were known as Diego & Frida in the media.
- Frida & Diego moved to Cuernavaca in late 1929, where Diego was commissioned to paint murals in the Palace of Cortes.
  - Life in Cuernavaca contributed even more to Frida’s Mexican identity & style – she began wearing traditional indigenous Mexican clothing as an homage to her mestiza heritage – huipils, rebozos, jewelry, & long colorful skirts.
  - It was through these that she really expressed her feminist & anti-colonial ideals.
- In late 1930, Diego had finished his commission & he & Frida moved to San Francisco, where Diego was commissioned to paint murals for the San Francisco Stock Exchange Luncheon Club & the California School of Fine Arts
  - It’s likely Frida began her long-lasting affair with Nickolas Murray at this time – he was a Hungarian-American photographer.
- In fall 1931, Diego & Frida traveled to NYC for Diego’s exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.
- They then headed to Detroit, where Diego was commissioned to paint murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts
  - Kahlo was becoming bolder in her own right as an artist & wasn’t afraid to tell the media she was the better artist of the couple
- Frida was frustrated with the colonial & capitalist-centric American society that she had spent the last few years in, but her misery intensified when she became pregnant while in Detroit. A physician performed a shoddy abortion – it didn’t work. She continued the pregnancy but then suffered a miscarriage, that led to a serious hemorrhage. She spent 2 weeks in the hospital. Soon after this, her mother died from surgical complications in Mexico.
Frida & Diego returned to NYC so Diego could paint a Rockefeller Center mural – he was fired from this, & then went on to paint another mural elsewhere. During this time, Frida continued to give interviews to the press, worked on her painting My Dress Hangs There, & at Frida’s urging, they returned to Mexico in December 1933.
They moved into a new house in San Angel, a wealthy neighborhood in Mexico City. Their house was 2 sections, connected by a bridge (Frida’s section was pink, Diego’s section was blue). Their home became a meeting place for many local & international artists & political activists.
Frida continued to face health problems, requiring an appendectomy, 2 abortions, & gangrenous toe amputations.
- And if this wasn’t bad enough, her marriage to Diego was falling apart – he continued to be unfaithful to her, this time with her sister Christina
- Frida moved to an apartment in central Mexico City in 1935 after discovering the affair, & had an affair with Isamu Noguchi.
- Frida reconciled with her husband & sister in late 1935, moving back to San Angel & became a “loving aunt to Christina’s children,” whose father left them several years earlier.
- Frida & Diego reconciled, but still continued their own affairs.
In 1936, Frida re-initiated her political activities, & even petitioned the Mexican government to allow Leon Trotsky & his wife to seek asylum in Mexico City. They lived for a time in La Casa Azul.
- Frida & Trotsky had a brief affair during this time as well.
Frida had an exhibition in Paris, & upon her return to Mexico City, Diego requested a divorce. They divorced in 1939, but remained friendly – she even managed his finances & correspondences.
Friday moved back to La Casa Azul & began to create art again. This began another very prominent & productive period in her career, & she pulled upon her international experiences to create her pieces.
- Some of her art during this time includes The Two Fridas, The Wounded Table, & Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace & Hummingbird.
  - Her art was featured in the 4th International Surrealist Exhibition in Mexico City, the Golden Gate International Exposition (held in San Francisco), & NYC’s Museum of Modern Art exhibit Twenty Centuries of Mexican Art
Leon Trotsky was assassinated in August 1940 & Frida was briefly a suspect since she knew the murderer. She & her sister were arrested & detained for 2 days.
- After she was released, she went to San Francisco for medical treatment for her continued back pain & a fungal infection – her health continued to decline after her divorce & her worsening alcohol abuse.
- In San Fran, Diego & Frida reconciled & remarried on December 8, 1940.
  - They were more independent in their second marriage, continuing affairs with other people, living apart. During this time, Frida is noted to have affairs with both men & women, as she was a bisexual.
Unfortunately, her health continued to decline – her spinal injuries required the use of supportive corsets, she had leg pain, chronic fungal infections, syphilis, & depression.
But while her health declined, her fame continued to grow in Mexico & she continued to produce great works like The Broken Column & The Wounded Deer.
In her last years of life, Frida spent most of her time confined to her home La Casa Azul in a wheelchair. She rejoined the Mexican Communist Party & dedicated her efforts to campaigning for peace.
Her right leg was amputated in August 1953, & suffered tremendously from depression & anxiety. In the
Frida Kahlo died at age 47 on July 13, 1954. The official cause was pulmonary embolism, but her biographer argues that it was likely suicide as she took an overdose, gave away possessions leading up to her death.
Her body lay in state at the Palacio de Bellas Artes & was cremated. Her ashes are on display at La Casa Azul, which is now a museum.