Frida

"Through her art, Herrera writes, Kahlo made of herself both performer and icon. Through this long overdue biography, Kahlo has also, finally,been made fully human." — San Francisco Chronicle Hailed by readers and critics across the country, this engrossing biography of iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo reveals a woman of extreme magnetism and originality, an artist whose sensual vibrancy came straight from her own experiences: her childhood near Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution; a devastating accident at age eighteen that left her crippled and unable to bear children; her tempestuous marriage to famed muralist Diego Rivera and intermittent love affairs with men as diverse as Isamu Noguchi and Leon Trotsky; her association with the Communist Party; her absorption in Mexican folklore and culture; and her dramatic love of spectacle. Here is the tumultuous life of an extraordinary 20th-century woman artist - with illustrations as rich and haunting as her legend. This definitive biography goes beyond the myth to explore the flesh-and-blood woman who became a global icon:- A Revolutionary Life: From her childhood during the Mexican Revolution to her association with the Communist Party and Leon Trotsky, discover the political fires that forged her worldview.- Iconic Mexican Art: Delve into the sensual vibrancy of her paintings, born from her deep absorption in Mexican folklore, culture, and her own dramatic experiences.- A Tumultuous Marriage: Uncover the truth behind her tempestuous, larger-than-life partnership with the muralist Diego Rivera, a relationship as passionate and volatile as her art.- Pain and Resilience: Witness the unvarnished story of the devastating accident that crippled her at eighteen, and how she transformed a lifetime of physical suffering into breathtaking art.

Hayden Herrera is an art historian. She has lectured widely, curated several exhibitions of art, taught Latin American art at New York University, and has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is the author of numerous articles and reviews for such publications as Art in America, Art Forum, Connoisseur, and the New York Times, among others. Her books include Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo; Mary Frank; and Matisse: A Portrait. She is working on a critical biography of Arshile Gorky. She lives in New York City.