Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo
by Hayden Herrera
List Price:
Our Price: $10.49
You Save: $14.46 (58%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.00 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Hayden HerreraEdition: Paperback
Published: 2002-10-01
ISBN: 0060085894
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo
Book Review: Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this book after re-watching the movie taken largely from this exhaustive biography. As someone who has read many bios, let me say that this is a refreshing and encouraging alternative to the fawning and excessive grocery store drivel and/or the dull and fact-filled dissertations that describe most biographies. Hayden Herrera manages to combine a staggeringly comprehensive detailing of Kahlo's life with an easy prose that makes for an engaging read. I know far more about this artist than I could've imagined and it is largely first-hand accounts either from the pages of Frida's own diaries and numerous letters or the people who were there. Herrera keeps her personal opinions regarding the events to a minimum and allows the events to speak for themselves. The life of Frida Kahlo needs no additional padding or maudlin tricks to engender a connection to anyone with a heart and soul. When the author does speculate, it comes from someone who has clearly studied her subject thoroughly and backs up her theories with a wealth of compelling evidence and sensible arguments. While her appreciation for Kahlo is obvious, Herrera does not stop short of being critical, questioning Kahlo's motives, and revealing the stark humanity and insecurity that Kahlo tried to obscure with her public persona as the confident, outspoken, provocative enchantress sporting her exotic Tehuana finery.
However, the best use of Herrera's research and the clear compassion and empathy she has for this incredible woman is when she analyses Frida's paintings. I found myself continuously turning back and forth from the detailed observations and interpretation to the paintings and trying to understand what the author is talking about. It was fascinating reading and a wonderful exploration that shed light into the depths of Frida's intensely personal art.
Two last notes: First, the version I bought does not sport Salma Hayek on the cover but instead one of Frida's many self-portraits. Apparently the publishers corrected this unfortunate decision based on movie marketing. Second, I was fortunate enough to take in the amazing exhibit of Frida Kahlo at the Philadelphia Museum just a few weeks ago and it was a moving and special day. Seeing the actual frames dripping blood, the size and grandeur of some of the works juxtaposed with the smaller works, and the sheer emotionally gravity of her art was something I'll never forget. Having read much of this biography by that time, I was able to bring that much more to that exhilarating opportunity.
Frida Kahlo was not just an extraordinary artist but was moreover an extraordinary person. Herrera's heartfelt, deeply researched, and brilliantly written biography allows those of us who never knew her to feel as if we have and to share in the universal quality of her painful work. That alone makes us better people for having experienced it.
Summary of Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo
Hailed by readers and critics across the country, this engrossing biography of 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 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 twentieth-century woman -- with illustrations as rich and haunting as her legend.
Art History Books
- Arts & Photography
- Artists, A-Z > ( J-L ) > Kahlo, Frida
- Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Artists, Architects & Photographers
- Ethnic & National
- Specific Groups > Women
- History > Americas > Mexico
- Nonfiction > Women's Studies
- Arts & Photography: History & Criticism: General
- Biographies & Memoirs: Ethnic & National: General
- Nonfiction: Women's Studies: General
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in So you want to be a crunchy granola girl
The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition)by John Steinbeck
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2002-01-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.18
Price in other shops:
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary MachineRelease date: 2005-10-04; Music CD
Best price: $8.94
Price in other shops:
Fiona Apple - When The Pawn...Release date: 1999-11-09; Published: 1999; Music CD
Best price: $5.54
Price in other shops:
Josh Ritter - Hello StarlingRelease date: 2005-02-22; Music CD
Best price: $10.38
Price in other shops:
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Facing FutureRelease date: 1993-09-01; Music CD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Habib Koit? & Bamada - Foly! Live Around the WorldRelease date: 2004-01-13; Music CD
Best price: $15.96
Price in other shops:
Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters Series)by Thich Nhat Hanh
Orbis Books; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops:
House, M.D. - Seasons One & TwoRelease date: 2007-05-08; DVD
Best price: $62.99
Price in other shops:
The X-Files - The Complete Seasons 1-9Release date: 2005-04-12; DVD
Best price: $269.99
Price in other shops:
Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahloby Hayden Herrera
Harper Perennial; Published: 2002-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Frida Kahlo: The Brush of Anguishby Martha Zamora, Marilyn Sode Smith
Published: 1993-07-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.59
Price in other shops:
Dreaming with His Eyes Open: A Life of Diego Rivera (Discovery Series)by Patrick Marnham
University of California Press; Published: 2000-05-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.87
Price in other shops:
Frida Kahloby Hayden Herrera, Victor Zamudio-Taylor, Frida Kahlo
Walker Art Center; Published: 2007-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $31.76
Price in other shops:
My Art, My Life: An Autobiographyby Diego Rivera, with Gladys March
Dover Publications; Published: 1992-01-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.08
Price in other shops:
FridaRelease date: 2002-10-22; Music CD
Best price: $8.87
Price in other shops:
Frida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahloby Marie Pierre Colle, Guadalupe Rivera
Clarkson Potter; Published: 1994-09-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.10
Price in other shops:
The Life and Times of Frida KahloRelease date: 2006-02-28; DVD
Best price: $15.73
Price in other shops:
FridaRelease date: 2003-06-10; DVD
Best price: $6.43
Price in other shops:
The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portraitby Frida Kahlo
"Harry N. Abrams, Inc."; Published: 2005-08-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops:
Frida Kahlo: The Paintingsby Hayden Herrera
Harper Perennial; Published: 1993-10-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.99
Price in other shops: