World Paintings

Frida Kahlo

Roots, 1943, oil on metal, 30.5 x 49.9 cm, private collection (sold at Sotheby’s in 2006 for $5,616,000 to an anonymous bidder on the phone).

Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954)

Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, Nikolas Muray Collection,
Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.

The Mexican painter, is perhaps best known for her self-portraits. Her work is remembered for its “pain and passion”, its intense, its vibrant colors. She suffered lifelong health problems, many of which stemmed from a traffic accident in her teenage years. These issues are reflected in her works, more than half of which are self-portraits of one sort or another.

“I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.” - Frida Kahlo