It is difficult to think of an artist more iconic than Frida Kahlo, a figure whose artwork is as instantly recognizable as her personal style. An upcoming exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, organized by Mari Carmen Ramírez, the MFA’s curator of Latin American art, looks at the posthumous transformation of Frida (as she is widely known) from Diego Rivera’s partner to being recognized for her artistic achievements to the global celebrity she is today.
“‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’ attempts to separate Frida Kahlo the artist from Frida Kahlo the phenomenon,” said Ramírez in a statement. The show is not simply a retrospective of Kahlo’s work; it includes pieces by nearly 80 other artists across five generations who were inspired by Kahlo, among them Laura Aguilar, Judith F. Baca, Judy Chicago, Catherine Opie, Carrie Mae Weems, and many others. The Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico City also lent archival materials like photographs, documents, clothing, and jewelry.
Some of the most high-profile Kahlo paintings in the show are the 1949 self portrait Diego and I, which sold for a then-record $35 million at Sotheby’s in 2021, and My Dress Hands There, 1933, which ARTnews identified as one of the 100 best artworks about New York City.
“The Making of an Icon” is on view at the MFAH from January 19 to May 17, and travels to Tate Modern in London next summer. Below are highlights from the show by both Kahlo and other artists who have responded to her work.
