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home > frida! > Frida Kahlo, A Brief Life, A Brief BioFrida Kahlo, A Brief Life, A Brief Bio
1886 Diego Rivera is born in Guanajuato, Mexico 1891 Guillermo Kahlo (Wilhelm Kahlo), Frida's father moves to Mexico from Germany 1907 Magdalena Carmen Frieda (she later drops the e) Kahlo y Calderon is born in the Casa Azul, on the outskirts of Mexico City 1910 Mexican Revolution breaks out 1913 Frida contracts polio at age 6, right leg thin and foot's growth stunted 1922 Begins high school at the National Preparatory at age 15; intends to be a doctor Watches Diego paint mural there A member of the Cachuchas, leader is boyfriend Alejandro Gomes Aries 1925 Bus accident September 17th, she is 18. Metal rail impales her, spine and pelvis fractured, her foot and other injuries, hospitalized During convalescence at home, she begins to paint 1926 First self-portrait, "Self-portrait In A Velvet Dress" 1928 Through photographer Tina Modotti, meets Diego again; she is 21 1929 Marries Diego; she is 22, he is 42; she is 100 pounds, he 300 Become pregnant and has first abortion (fetus incorrectly positioned) 1930 The Rivera's travel to San Francisco for work; she meets Dr. Eloesser, who becomes her lifelong friend and medical advisor 1931 The Rivera's travel NYC, Diego has exhibit at MOMA Paints "Frida and Diego Rivera" 1932 They travel to Detroit Ford Motor mural commission On July 4th Frida suffers a miscarriage at Henry Ford Hospital Frida's mother dies Paints "Henry Ford Hospital" and "Self-Portrait Between the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States" 1933 Travel to NYC to do the Rockefeller mural Diego refuses to paint out Lenin, they destroy the mural Diego does mural for New Worker's School End of year return, they return to Mexico, to new house in San Angel Paints "My Dress Hangs There" 1934 Frida undergoes an appendectomy, abortion (third pregnancy), foot surgery remove 3 toes During the summer, they separate, as Diego has affair with Christina Frida gets own apt in Mexico City 1935 Frida returns to San Angel and reconciles with Diego Paints "A few Small Nips" Frida has affair with Isamu Noguchi 1936 Spanish Civil War breaks out, the Rivera's raise money for Mexicans fighting against Franco Paints "My Grandparents, My Parents and I" 1937 Trotsky and wife come arrive in Mexico and live in the Casa Azul until 1939 Frida has affair with Trotsky Frida begins to paint some of her best work Has work shown at the Galleria de Arte, University of Mexico Paints "Between the Two Curtains," "My Nurse and I," "Memory" 1938 Andre Breton and wife visit Mexico to meet Trotsky He sees "What the Water Gave Me" and says Frida is a surrealist October, Frida goes to NYC for one-person show Show is success and she sells some paintings She meets photographer Nicholas Murray Paints "What the Water Gave Me," "The Frame" "Remembrance of an Open Wound," "Self-Portrait With Itczuintli Dog," "Self-Portrait with Monkey" 1939 Travels to Paris, as Breton promises her a show, the show falls through She stays with the Breton's and others, is hospitalized with kidney infection Marcel Duchamp arranges Frida's entry into a Mexican art exhibit, she took 18 paintings but only two were shown, the others were too "shocking" One of the two, "The Frame," was purchased by the Louvre Sails back to NYC, breaks off with Murray Returns to Mexico and lives at the Blue House That summer she and Diego separate and divorce in December Paints "The Two Fridas" one of the two large-scale pieces that Frida painted (68" x 68") 1940 Frida's reputation soars, paintings shown in San Francisco and NYC Trotsky is assassinated Meets Dr. Eloesser again, prescribes bed rest and persuades Diego and Frida and reconcile and they remarry Paints "The Wounded Table" (now lost), "Dream, The Bed," "Self- Portrait With Cropped Hair," "Self-Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser," "Self-Portrait With Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird," "Self-Portrait With Monkey" 1941 Frida's father has heart attack and dies She and Diego return to blue house to live, Diego uses house in San Angel as his studio Frida's paintings are shown in Mexico City, NYC, Boston and Philadelphia Her physical health declines And although ill, she continues to paint ("Me and My Parrots," "The Flower Basket" 1943 Frida's work is included in NYC exhibit "Exhibition by 31 Women" She joins the faculty at the Education Ministry School of Painting, Mexico City; health prevent her from traveling to Mexico City, so students come to the Blue House In the end only four come and they are called "Los Fridos" Paints "Self-Portrait as a Techuana" (or, "Diego In My Thoughts"), "The Bride Frightened At Seeing Life Opened" 1944 Poor health continues Over the next few years, she undergoes spinal taps, confinement in a series of corsets and several radical operations on back and leg that did more harm than good Depressed, Frida begins keeping a diary Commission at the Hotel Posada del Sol mural by her and her students, owner dislikes and destroys it Paints "The Broken Column" and "Portrait of Dona Rosita Morillo," "The Flower of Life" has exhibits in NYC and Mexico City 1945 After reading Freud's Moses and Monotheism, Frida paints "Moses" Also paints "The Chick," "Magnolias," "Without Hope" 1946 Awarded the National Prize of Arts and Sciences Ministry of Public Ed, for painting "Moses" Goes to NYC for bone-graft operation, large does of morphine prescribed for pain Paints "Tree of Hope," "The Wounded Deer" 1948 Diego begins two year public affair with actress Maria Felix 1949 Gangrene apparent on right foot Paints "Deigo and I" 1950 During course of the year, has six operations on her spine, due in part to the severe infection of her bone graphs; spends most of the year in hospital, Diego sleeps in room next to hers paints when well enough to do 1951 Discharge from hospital, in wheelchair, full time nurses Paints "Portrait of My Father," "Still Life With Parrot" 1952 Begins still life paintings, 13 over next two years Frida projects her pain onto wounded fruits Consumes large amounts of pain killers and alcohol that affected her ability to paint 1953 First solo exhibition of Frida's work in Mexico City. Doc says not well enough to attend. So they load her bed and take it to the gallery Her right leg in amputated below the knee Physical and emotional conditions worsen 1954 April gets pneumonia July 2 she and Diego take part in a demonstration against North American intervention in Guatemala, her last public appearance Pneumonia worsens Paints last painting, "Viva la Vida," inscribing these words on the watermelon just 8 days before she died Frida dies on July 13th , reported as pulmonary embolism, but suicide is suspected She is cremated and her ashes were placed in a Pre-Columbian urn (now in the Casa Azul Museum) 1955 Diego becomes ill with cancer and he marries his art dealer Emma Hurtado He gives the Blue House to the Mexican government to become a museum 1957 Diego dies of heart failure
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