
Step into the life and legacy of Frida Kahlo: revolutionary artist and global icon.
Discover the extraordinary story of how Frida Kahlo became one of the most influential artists of all time, a cultural phenomenon, and an internationally recognised commercial icon.
Frida Kahlo: The Making of an Icon will showcase works by the artist that introduce her ‘many selves’ – the dedicated wife, the intellectual, the modern artist, and the political activist. Featuring over 130 works, including some of her most well-known paintings, the exhibition will also feature documents, photographs and memorabilia taken from Kahlo’s archives, as well as the work of more than 80 of her contemporaries and artists she inspired from later generations.
Encounter a journey entirely unique to this fearless, revolutionary artist, one that offers fascinating insight into the transformative role of women artists in the 20th century, the intriguing notion of fandom, and the diversity of communities who claim Frida as their own.
Frida: The Making of an Icon is organised by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in collaboration with Tate Modern. The exhibition is in partnership with Lead Global Supporter, Bank of America. Supported by John J. Studzinski CBE with additional support from Tate Members.

Frida Kahlo produced a relatively small body of work yet posthumously has become one of the world’s most recognised and merchandised artists. Her meticulously crafted paintings explored her own identity, physical pain and emotional turbulence, intertwined with botanical details and cultural motifs from her native Mexico. While a contemporary of surrealist artists, and adopting a surrealist style at times, she said: “They thought I was a surrealist, but I wasn’t... I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.”



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