The work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is extremely popular today in the art market and among the general public. Her paintings have a universal appeal for the way they portray and address human suffering. Discover this artist through 10 anecdotes.

1. She was of German descent
Frida Kahlo was born Magdalena Carmen FRIEDA Kahlo y Calderón. The name FRIEDA comes from the German word FRIEDE, which means “PEACE.” She dropped the “e” from her name around 1935 and became Frida.

2. She suffered from many illnesses.
She was a healthy and happy child until she contracted polio at the age of 6.

3. She painted her hardships.
As if that weren't enough, at the age of 18, she suffered a traumatic bus accident, which was a source of great suffering throughout her life. In total, she underwent 35 surgeries. Kahlo expressed her physical suffering in her paintings, among which perhaps the most poignant is "The Broken Column," from 1944.

4. She had a turbulent marriage
Frida and Diego Rivera married in 1929. She was just 22 years old, while he was 43. She was his third wife. Frida once said:
"I have had two great accidents in my life... but Diego was the worst."

5. Her sister was also Diego's girlfriend
. Their relationship was stormy. Diego had many affairs, even with Frida's sister, Cristina.

6. Frida fell in love with someone else
Frida was not faithful to Diego and also had a publicly known relationship with Leon Trotsky.

7. She was a fashion icon
Frida was tormented by her insecurities, partly due to physical suffering. To cope with her lack of self-confidence and feelings of being lost, she created a unique style of clothing for herself and reflected it in her paintings. She is known for her traditional Mexican clothing, hairstyles, and distinctive makeup.

8. She Painted 55 Self-Portraits
As a result, she was obsessed with herself and made at least 55 self-portraits out of her 143 paintings. When asked why she painted so many self-portraits, she replied:
“Because I am so often alone... because I am the subject I know best.”

9. Her portraits have multiple meanings.
She appears in her paintings under several guises, from her Mexican national pride to more symbolic portrayals, such as with animals. In the 1938 “Self-Portrait with a Monkey,” the monkey appears to be wrapping its arm around her neck, signifying an aspect of her soul.

The work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is extremely popular today in the art market and among the general public. Her paintings have a universal appeal for the way they portray and address human suffering. Discover this artist through 10 anecdotes.

Frida is widely known as a surrealist painter and is seen as a key figure in the international spread of the movement. When her work began to be appreciated in the 1930s, surrealist André Breton described her art as: “A ribbon around a bomb.”

Source and Copyright of the Article - Artsper Art Magazine:  https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/10-facts-frida-kahlo/