Frida Kahlo, born in 1907 in Coyoacán, Mexico, endured a life marked by pain — and artistic brilliance. When Kahlo contracted polio at age 6, it required a period of isolation that would ultimately spark a lifetime of resilience and introspection. Despite an early aptitude for sketching, Kahlo didn’t necessarily want to be an artist — she dreamed of practicing medicine. At 18, however, a devastating bus accident derailed her plans. During her long recovery, including more periods of isolation, she turned to painting, including her first of many self-portraits, 1926’s Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress.

In 1929, Kahlo married renowned muralist Diego Rivera; their partnership, though tumultuous, profoundly informed Kahlo’s life and art. She embraced her Mexican heritage, donning the traditional Tehuana clothing that became central to her work. Frida created around 200 paintings in her lifetime; many of them, including Henry Ford Hospital and My Birth, explored identity and suffering, and often viscerally depicted the female experience. La Casa Azul (the Blue House), her lifelong home, was her sanctuary, filled with her art and Mexican folk treasures. Kahlo died there in 1954 at age 47, leaving behind a cultural legacy that has far transcended the art world.