Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: FRIDA KAHLO

As we're celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, New Mexico's INFLUENCE Magazine would like to take part by celebrating the history, cultures, and contributions of notable figures whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Today we're honored to remember Frida Kahlo. She is a Mexican artist remembered for her self-portraits, pain and passion, and bold, vibrant colors. She is celebrated in Mexico for her attention to Mexican and indigenous culture and by feminists for her depiction of the female experience and form.

Life experience is a common theme in Kahlo's approximately 200 paintings, sketches and drawings as she suffered from polio as a child, and nearly died in a bus accident as a teenager. She suffered multiple fractures of her spine, collarbone and ribs, had a shattered pelvis, along with a broken foot and a dislocated shoulder. She began to focus heavily on painting while recovering in a body cast. In her lifetime, she had 30 operations.

Today, her works sell for very high prices. In May 2006, Frida Kahlo's self-portrait, Roots, was sold for $5.62 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York, which set a record as the most expensive Latin American work ever purchased at auction, and also makes Frida Kahlo one of the highest-selling women in art.

#NationalHispanicHeritageMonth. #Newmexico #hispanicheritage #latina