Frida Kahlo Paintings

This introspective individual produced countless self-portraits in her signature style which took in elements of Naive art, Surrealism and Magic Realism. The characteristics of Mexican art can also be found here, with bright colours dominating throughout her career. You will see the same in the work of Diego Rivera and this muralist was a significant influence on Frida. The two were proud of their ancestry and would also use traditional Mexican styles within their work, as seen in The Two Fridas and Self-Portrait as a Tehuana for example.

Whilst most Europeans would place her work in the Surrealist movement, alongside the likes of Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte and Joan Miro, she herself rejected this label and stated that her work was a Realist depiction of her own dreams. Frida Kahlo's paintings became a significant contribution to international feminism, encouraging women from around the world to follow in her footsteps. Georgia O'Keeffe is one of the most famous to have been directly influenced by Kahlo's work. A large proportion of artworks by Frida Kahlo are unavailable for loan outside of Mexico, and this has ensured that the focus, at least internationally, has been placed entirely on her more accessible pieces.

Whilst this remains frustrating to international art fans, it does at least ensure that this proud Mexican painter will continue to be enjoyed by her fellow-Mexicans for generations to come. Enough have become available from time to time across Europe and North America to ensure her reputation remains strong. Indeed those two particular continents provided an important influence in her life, through her family heritage and also her promotional tours as an artist. In recent years there has been a solid effort towards at least documenting these hidden pieces, so that all of her ouevre is truly understood. Some have been lost or stolen, others moved to collections which are completely inaccessible to the public.