Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her vivid self-portraits exploring themes of identity, pain, and Mexican culture, who became a major figure in 20th-century art and a lasting cultural icon.
Kahlo survived childhood polio and a severe bus accident at age 18 that caused lifelong pain and numerous surgeries, experiences that profoundly shaped the raw, symbolic imagery in her artwork.
Much of her work consists of self-portraits that blend physical and emotional pain with elements of Mexican folk art and indigenous culture, reflecting both her personal suffering and her national identity.
Though she achieved only modest recognition during her lifetime, Kahlo's work gained significant international acclaim in the decades after her death in 1954, and she is now celebrated as one of the most important Latin American artists of the 20th century.