A painter and her story, Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo is one of the most famous female painters and Latin painters. Many people know her work, or of her work.  

  Kahlo is famously known for representing Mexican culture and having pride in it. She wore traditional Mexican dresses with a mix of contemporary style. 

Part of what makes her work so interesting is her life; she had a lot of pain and tribulation. When she was young, she contracted polio, which left her with a limp.  

At the age of 18 she got in a bus crash, leaving her with chronic pain, multiple surgeries, and left her infertile. All of these things left her with lifelong affliction which was shown in all her work.  

  Later in life she had a more than complicated relationship with another artist, Diego Rivera. The on and off relationship left her with many emotions; good and bad.  

  Recently one of her paintings was sold at an auction for $34.9 million. According to New York Times it is now “the most expensive artwork by a Latin American artist.” 

  The piece is called “Diego and I.” The self-portrait was painted a few years before her death. It depicts the anguish she went through after Diego cheated on her and almost divorced her.  

  New York times also reported that “Kahlo surpassed a benchmark set by Rivera in 2018, when one of his paintings sold at auction for $9.76 million- or the equivalent of $10.75 million today, accounting for inflation.” 

  Anna Di Stasi, The Director of Latin American art at the auction house said “You could call tonight’s result the ultimate revenge, but in fact it is the ultimate validation of Kahlo’s extraordinary talent and global appeal.” in a press conference after the auction.  

  Frida Kahlo is an innovative and groundbreaking that set the stage for Latin art and women in the industry and this auction proves that.