Frida Kahlo: an artist who changed everything

Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico City in 1907. She is now one of the most famous painters of the twentieth century, but her path was not easy. When Frida was eighteen, she was in a serious bus accident. She broke many bones and spent months in bed. During her long recovery, she began to paint. Her mother put a special mirror on the ceiling so Frida could see herself, and she started to create the self-portraits that would later make her famous. Frida's art was deeply personal. Her paintings showed pain, identity, love and Mexican culture. She often used strong colours and surreal images. While other artists of the time hid their emotions, Frida did the opposite. She married the famous painter Diego Rivera. Their relationship was passionate but very complicated, with many separations and reunions. Frida was not a popular artist during her life. She had only one solo exhibition in Mexico before she died in 1954, at the age of forty-seven. Today, her image is everywhere — on T-shirts, posters and walls. Her work has finally received the attention it always deserved.