A new exhibition looking at the life and influence of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo opens at London's Tate Modern gallery this week.
"Frida: The Making of an Icon" shows visitors some of her famous self-portraits alongside works by other artists she has influenced over the years.
“This exhibition tells the incredible story of how Frida Kahlo, who was relatively an unknown painter in her lifetime, has grown to be one of the most recognisable artists in the world," exhibition curator Tobias Ostrander told Reuters at a press preview on Monday.
Kahlo, who spent long periods bed-ridden after a traffic accident in her youth, created some 200 paintings, sketches and drawings - mainly self-portraits - in which she transformed her misfortune into works of bold colour and emblematic strength. She attained international fame after her death in 1954, and after the 1970s rose as a feminist icon.
“I think (Kahlo had) a huge influence, and it's crescendoed over the years... in her lifetime, she was the wife of the most famous artist at the time, Diego Rivera. But really, since her death, she's eclipsed Diego Rivera in fame," Ostrander said.
"I think people are very much drawn to how she was a hybrid identity... But also, she addressed her own personal suffering... and I think many people identify with that... and through all of that... her sense of strength and resilience is quite unique."
Among the works by other artists on show at the exhibition is the installation "Altar for Frida Kahlo" by Carmen Lomas Garza, a traditional ofrenda - or Mexican altar - to honour deceased relatives on the Day of the Dead. On it are offerings as well as a picture of Kahlo and a special box Lomas Garza made.
“She had a very difficult time recovering and suffering from the accident that she was in when she was a teenager... And so, I put nails in the heart because that is her heart, deep pain," Lomas Garza said.
"In the, inside the bottom of the nicho... There's a baby being born. She had a miscarriage, and that was very painful for her. And at the very top, you see this bird flying. Well, it's actually her eyebrows turned into a bird.”
"Frida: The Making of an Icon" opens on June 25 and runs until January.
“Currently, we have the largest number of pre-sale tickets that Tate has ever had. It's about 42,000 people," Ostrander said. "There's a Frida effect... she continues to mean different things to different people and (is) very inspiring.”
