What was Frida’s famous work? These are the most common questions, but many interesting facts are to be learned about Frida. We will be covering some important Frida Kahlo facts and some Frida Kahlo fun facts!
Many lists will answer questions like “Where was Frida born?” or “When did Frida die?”. But for someone who lived such an interesting life, there are many more things to think about and discover regarding important Frida Kallo facts.
She was not only a pioneering artist who represented women in a male-dominated field but was also an exceptional example of an artist from Mexico that made it into the international art market.
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Facts About Frida Kahlo
1. She wanted her baby to be born simultaneously with the Mexican Revolution.
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican citizen who was born July 6, 1907, in Coyoacan. However, she told many people that she was actually born in 1910. This was three years after her actual birth. People would associate her with the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Kahlo was a symbol of Mexican culture and indigenous culture. However, her father, Carl Wilhelm Kahlo, was born in Germany.
According to Frida, he is either Jewish or Hungarian, or he comes from a long line of German Lutherans, as new research suggests. Matilde Calderon was Frida’s mother of both Spanish and indigenous Mexican descent.
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2. Her work “Roots” set the record as a Latin American Piece of Art.
Frida Kahlo was an important figure in the Neomexicanismo Art Movement, which emerged in Mexico in the 1970s. Her art is often called folk art because of its traditional elements. Some call it Surrealist. Kahlo said that she was not a Surrealist but that they thought she was. I have never painted dreams. I created my reality. Her self-portrait Roots was sold at auction for 5.6million dollars in May 2006. This is a record for an art piece from Latin America.
3. Frida Kahlo is featured on Money.
Uniquely, the 500 Mexican peso bill contains two portraits—one on each side. Frida Kahlo (the famous couple) and Diego Rivera (the duo) are two of the most prominent artists and personalities. The 500 peso bill, which was issued to commemorate the centennial celebrations of the Mexican Revolution, contains Diego Rivera’s quote in small script. The revolution doesn’t need art. But art is necessary for the revolution. This is false. Revolutionary art is essential for the revolution. “
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4. After a near-fatal accident, she became a painter.
Frida was with her friend Alex when a bus crashed into a trolley car. After the accident, Kahlo spent over a year recovering. She also gave up her premed program to paint during this time. Her father was an artist and lent her his oil paint and brushes. Kahlo’s mom ordered a special easel so she could paint in her hospital room. A mirror was placed inside the canopy to allow for self-portraiture.
5. She is known for being the master of Self-Portraits.
Frida Kahlo has created 143 paintings, 55 of which are self-portraits. Kahlo stated, “I paint myself since I am so often alone and I am the subject that I know best.” Many of her self-portraits include interpretations and psychological wounds. Frida Kahlo is renowned for her self-portraits, which are among the best ever. Her most well-known self-portrait is Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird.
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6. Frida’s painting was the first international-respected museum to purchase it.
In 1939, Kahlo’s The Frame was purchased by the Louvre. This made it the first international-recognized museum to purchase a work by a Mexican artist in the 20th century. Despite this achievement, Kahlo was still well-known throughout her life and 20th century as Diego Rivera’s wife. She married him in 1929. Kahlo is now well-known for her own merits since the 1980s. Numerous biographies of Kahlo have been published, and films about her life were made. La Casa Azul, her former home, is now a museum. The Museum of the Fine Arts Palace in Mexico hosted the largest ever exhibit of her paintings last summer to commemorate her 100th birthday. However, it was only open for two months.
7. Frida Kahlo was bisexual.
Kahlo and Rivera were in a turbulent marriage. Both had multiple affairs. Frida was involved with both men and women. Kahlo was furious that Rivera had an affair even with Kahlo’s younger sister, Cristina. They split in 1939, but they remarried one year later. Their second marriage was not as happy as their first. However, Kahlo and Rivera remained married until Rivera’s death.
8. She was involved in an affair with the founder and leader of the Red Army.
Leon Trotsky, the Russian revolutionary, and founder of the Red Army came to Mexico to seek political asylum from the Soviet Union. First, he stayed with Rivera, but later, he had an affair with Kahlo. To commemorate their brief affair, Kahlo painted a self-portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky.
9. Frida Kahlo has been a close friend to American artist, Georgia O’Keeffe.
Rivera and O’Keeffe met at Rivera’s solo exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in December 1931. Rivera’s assistant said that O’Keeffe had been having a relationship with his wife. Frida Kalo wrote a few letters to Georgia O’Keeffe, an artist rock star almost twice her age whom she had met while living in New York.
10. A few decades after her death, she became well-known.
On July 26, 1954, Kahlo was born and died 20 days later. A few days before she died, she wrote in her diary: “I hope that the exit is joyful – and I hope never to return.” Frida Kahlo was modestly successful in her lifetime, and her work was widely recognized only a few years later. She was most well-known in Mexico as Rivera’s spouse, but she is now well-known worldwide as Rivera.
11. Her life has been the subject of two famous movies.
Many articles, books, and documentaries have been written about Kahlo’s life and art. Hayden Herrera’s bestseller Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo (1983) is one of many. In 1983, the movie “Frida naturaleza vivia” was released. It was a great success. Another biographical film, ‘Frida, Naturaleza viva,’ was released in 1983. It grossed more than $US 50,000,000 and won two Academy Awards.
