
Frida Kahlo
The Life and Art behind the Icon
Julia Secklehner(Author)
Bloomsbury Academic (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 7. January 2027
Book
Hardback
272 pages
979-8-7651-2336-2 (ISBN)
Description
Re-introduces the social and political life and work of one of the world's most recognizable artists, examining her impact on the broader society of her time, legacy, and how she was later shaped into a feminist and commercial icon.
Frida Kahlo is best Known for her colorful self-portraits, which represent some of the most direct renderings of women's experiences in the 20th century, and for her active membership in Mexico's modernist artistic circles. Her fame, as we we know it today, grew only after her early death in 1954. Since the 1970s, she has become an iconic figure who is connected to feminist and LGBTQ+ movements around the world. Her face, adorned by a flower wreath and monobrow, has become a highly profitable brand featured on posters and a wide array of design products. Yet this fame has also made it difficult to distinguish between the mythology and the artist she was during her lifetime.
This biography reassesses the artist's life by re-introducing the Frida Kahlo behind the brand, retracing how Kahlo made history as a modernist painter and socialite in a time when Mexico was undergoing significant social and political changes. From her childhood in Mexico City in the midst of the Mexican Revolution, to her politics and tumultuous marriage to Diego Rivera, to her teaching a new generation of artists, this work provides a comprehensive look at the whole life of the artist and traces how her legacy developed into contemporary times.
Images throughout illustrate the text and vividly connect readers to Kahlo's life. A timeline, chronological sequencing, and curated next-step resources make this a necessary first-stop reference source that shows the importance of revisiting iconic figures to assess their lives beyond the myths.
Frida Kahlo is best Known for her colorful self-portraits, which represent some of the most direct renderings of women's experiences in the 20th century, and for her active membership in Mexico's modernist artistic circles. Her fame, as we we know it today, grew only after her early death in 1954. Since the 1970s, she has become an iconic figure who is connected to feminist and LGBTQ+ movements around the world. Her face, adorned by a flower wreath and monobrow, has become a highly profitable brand featured on posters and a wide array of design products. Yet this fame has also made it difficult to distinguish between the mythology and the artist she was during her lifetime.
This biography reassesses the artist's life by re-introducing the Frida Kahlo behind the brand, retracing how Kahlo made history as a modernist painter and socialite in a time when Mexico was undergoing significant social and political changes. From her childhood in Mexico City in the midst of the Mexican Revolution, to her politics and tumultuous marriage to Diego Rivera, to her teaching a new generation of artists, this work provides a comprehensive look at the whole life of the artist and traces how her legacy developed into contemporary times.
Images throughout illustrate the text and vividly connect readers to Kahlo's life. A timeline, chronological sequencing, and curated next-step resources make this a necessary first-stop reference source that shows the importance of revisiting iconic figures to assess their lives beyond the myths.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Illustrations
9 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-7651-2336-2 (9798765123362)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Julia Secklehner, PhD, specializes in the history and theory of modern art, craft, and design cultures. As a researcher at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, she concentrates on women's contributions to modernism and the links between high, popular, and folk art. She is also interested in minority representation, the dynamics of modern culture beyond metropolitan areas-including rural, peripheral, and border regions-and socially engaged art.
Content
Series Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Timeline
Introduction: Why Kahlo Matters
1. A Childhood in Suburbia
2. Frida and the Cachuchas: Coming of Age in Postrevolutionary Mexico
3. The Accident: A New Life
4. The Dove and the Elephant: Frida and Diego-A Modernist Romance?
5. Redefining Mexicanidad: How Kahlo Built Her Own Facet of Mexican Identity
6. Gringolandia: Kahlo beyond Mexico
7. Politics, a Broken Marriage, and Artistic Emancipation
8. Teaching a New Generation of Artists: Los Fridos
9. A Short Life with a Long Legacy: Kahlo 100 Years On
Bibliography
Index
Preface
Acknowledgments
Timeline
Introduction: Why Kahlo Matters
1. A Childhood in Suburbia
2. Frida and the Cachuchas: Coming of Age in Postrevolutionary Mexico
3. The Accident: A New Life
4. The Dove and the Elephant: Frida and Diego-A Modernist Romance?
5. Redefining Mexicanidad: How Kahlo Built Her Own Facet of Mexican Identity
6. Gringolandia: Kahlo beyond Mexico
7. Politics, a Broken Marriage, and Artistic Emancipation
8. Teaching a New Generation of Artists: Los Fridos
9. A Short Life with a Long Legacy: Kahlo 100 Years On
Bibliography
Index