Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo
by Hayden Herrera
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Book Summary Information
Author: Hayden HerreraEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-01
ISBN: 0060085894
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo
Book Review: This is the book to read if you want to know Frida Kahlo in depth
Summary: 5 Stars
Women artists of the past had been largely ignored by art historians but articles began to appear here and there in the Seventies as women art historians rejected the idea that all great artists were male and researched these neglected women who made art and were well known in their own time, then forgotten. This took courage as defying patriarchal systems always does. In 1976, the seminal "Women Artists:1550-1950" by Ann Sutherland-Harris and Linda Nochlin includes a section on Kahlo's work. That's an excellent book for anyone interested in the history of art by women, probably out of print but available through libraries.
Before "Women Artists" came out, I saw Frida's work in an article, which I think was in the "Feminist Art Journal." I was awestruck, to the extent of creating a piece titled "Homage to Frida Kahlo" for my 1978 exhibition at an Atlanta gallery. My work is not like Frida's but she is effectively my "patron saint" as an artist, a real inspiration. She was an amazing artist who endured a lot of pain but kept making art and, when she was well, liked to cook and entertain, go to parties, etc. I don't share her atheism, communist ideology, bisexuality, or problems with an unfaithful husband but I don't hold them against her, either, and understand why she had affairs of her own. She'd be very, very high on my list if I were asked that old question "What famous dead people would you like to have dinner with?" If such a dinner could actually happen, I'd ask if I might bring my husband along to translate for me, perhaps my daughter, too, and hope Frida would cook for us in her Blue House.
The earliest publication date I can find listed online for Hayden Herrera's "Frida" is 1983 -- someone has borrowed my copy again so I can't check to see if it is actually older. But the 2002 edition is not the original date and I thought it was out by 1978.
That first article I read may have been by Hayden Herrera. I know she later wrote one for ArtForum but there is no online bibliography of her articles, only her books. There were other books that came out in the same general time frame and they're fine for someone who doesn't want to read a long book about Frida. But Herrera's "Frida" is the best as art history and biography. Also especially good, in my view, is "The Diary of Frida Kahlo," which actually reproduces Frida's diary, writings and drawings. And Herrera's book "Frida Kahlo: the Paintings" is more photos, less biography, a good companion to "Frida."
If you still want and need more of Frida, go here:[...]
for a long list of books with reviews; all seem to be available at amazon. I'm tempted to read the 2008 book that is an interview she gave to her female friend and psychologist towards the end of her life, but turned off by the idea that it includes a psychological assessment of Frida given by another psychologist, a male, presumably written for this book by a man who never knew Frida! Talk about a long-distance diagnosis. . .
Perhaps it's better not to know everything that's behind anyone's mask, better not to hear what Frida told her shrink, just look at more of her work and enjoy it. She showed us her psyche quite a lot in her paintings. Viva Frida!
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.
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