For LGBT+ History Month let’s take a look at the bisexual artist and activist’s life
BY GEORGIA SWEET, IMAGES VIA CREATIVE COMMONS
LGBT+ History Month wouldn’t be complete without us talking about bisexual artist and activist Frida Kahlo. She was born in the 1900s and has become a modern-day icon for the art she produced. The Mexican artist created bold colourful pieces about the pain and passion of her life. She is best remembered for her self portraits that portrayed the way she saw herself in several different lights.
Want to learn more about the icon? Here are seven facts to know…
She suffered life-changing injuries aged 18
She was in a tragic accident after a bus collided with a tram, she was impaled with a handrail through her pelvis. She survived the collision but underwent 30 medical operations in her lifetime due to this.
Her father made an easel for her while she was in hospital
She went on to make self-portraits while recovering from her accident as a distraction from the pain.
Frida’s art explored themes of sexual pleasures and relationships
Very much going against societal expectations of her time, she disregarded the limitations of gender. She was attracted to both men and women and her painting symbolises this. Unknowingly making herself an absolute queer icon.
She had an interesting marriage
She was married to Diego Rivera for the majority of her life. It seems they were in (what we would call in the modern day) an open relationship. Frida was encouraged by her husband to have romantic relations with women and they both had multiple extramarital affairs. This led to Diego having an affair with Frida’s sister. This dynamic resulted in them divorcing and then marrying again.
Her husband redesigned her house into a museum dedicated to her after her death
La Casa Azul was opened to the public in 1958 and can still be viewed to this day. The house is owned by the nation of Mexico.
You can find her face on money
Her face can be found on the 500 Mexican peso bill, on the other side is her husband, Diego Rivera. It was released to make the centennial of the Mexican Revolution. They are the country’s most celebrated and famous artists.
She claimed to be born on the day the Mexican Revolution started
Her birth certificate states she was born on 6 July 1907, but she was adamant she was born on 7 of July 1910. I know we’re all thinking she just wanted to knock a few years off her age, however she was deeply patriotic and felt she was the voice of the oppressed.
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