Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo

I bought it as a birthday gift for a friend who says the book is excellent! Interesting, fast moving, intelligently written and gives a wide and open picture of the Mexico of Frida's day, the world in which she lived in.

`Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo' is the book the excellent film was based upon and if you have seen the film and enjoyed it, you can see where the poetry and detail comes from when you read this. This book explores Frida's life and art and whilst this is a biography of her life, it also doubles a critique of some of her art as well. Various pieces are explored and analysed in great depth and put into context with her life and when she created them. This has lots of her early love letters, as well as letters she wrote throughout her life and these give you a real feel for her own unique voice. This also has excellent sections which show her artwork and photos from her life (two sections of which are black and white and two of which are in colour). There are extensive notes and as such this book could be used for academic study, but it is so rich and engaging that you can almost enjoy this as a novel of an original, inspiring and fiercely independent woman. Frida has often been overshadowed by her famous husband, but fortunately here she takes centre stage and you can see her for all her faults, as well as her humour, grace, intelligence and beauty. If you enjoy well written biographies and wish to learn more about this unique and inspirational woman then this is the place to start. Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

A great read about this artists life

This book is a great in depth look at Frida's life and has some excellent sections discussing her paintings and how the symbolism in them related to events she was experiencing at the time of their painting. My deduction of one star is due to, in my opinion the excessive number of personal letters in the books. Some are interesting and incitful, but many are not and feel like they could have been edited out. I found the first part of the book a bit of a slog due to the letters coming one after one. I recommend skipping a few.

I am not an officianado - either in Art or Artistis - but I love Frida Kahlo's work which I first saw at the Tate Modern some years ago. Recently some of her work was displayed in Chichester and I bought this book as a follow on. It's given me some insight into her work and her interesting and difficult life The writing isn't too pretencious and is full of anecdotes and famous names to help put the era in context. It's a good complement to the film made in 2002 (?) which had an Oscar nomination. I don't remember it doing the circuit (and I go to arts cinema) - it would be lovely to see it on the Big Screen.

I love this book. Good value. Good read. Thank you very much.

All was perfect and the item arrived exactly on schedule.

Great

Amazing! A beautiful read!

Proud of her Mexican heritage, Frida Kahlo, was a striking artist in her flowing skirts, joined eyebrows and tied hair. Temperamental, flamboyant, she was also politically active, identifying with the Communist ideology, along with her artist husband, Diego Rivera. Independent, yet, hugely dependent on him, she married, divorced and remarried, Diego. Their relationship was the mainstay in her life, alternating between love and umpteen upsets and conficts. Her life is a daunting account to pen. Pain dogged her right from childhood, a polio affliction when she was eight years old, to a devastating accident at the age of eighteen. Her subsequent years passed in a series of innumerable surgeries, tied up in plaster corsets for months, unable to stand and paint. Her paintings echo these personal stories of hope, turmoil, grief and despair. In her words - “I paint my own reality.” Passing away at the age of forty seven, much of Frida’s fame came after her death. A legendary figure in the art world, her spirited life and non conformity of societal norms, dictated her personal choices. Her art is an ode to her culture, nature and her 'self'.

Excellent book. What a fascinating woman and what a fascinating life. The descriptions of her paintings brought them to life and the photos of her work and her life were very helpful.

Da intenditori. Ottima pubblicazione, molto quotata nelle sue varie edizioni. È la biografia più completa di Frida Kahlo, ricca di dettagli e di immagini. Adoro!

Eine atemberaubende, spannende und detaillierte Erzählung von Frida Kahlos Leben mit Kopien einiger ihrer persönlichen Briefe und zahlreichen Farb- und Schwarzweisstafeln ihrer Werke. Frida Kahlo erlebte als Teenager einen schweren Unfall mit Verletzungen der Wirbelsäule und inneren Organen, die nie ganz geheilt werden konnten. Ihr Erwachsenen-Leben war daher nie ganz schmerzfrei, aber die Malerei half ihr trotz Behinderung Aussergewöhnliches zu schaffen. Das Buch beschreibt, wie sie ihre Kunst von naiven Anfängen weiterentwickelte zu eindrucksvollen technisch perfekten Werken. Ihr grösster Förderer und Freund war ihr Mann Diego Riviera, der - selbst ein berühmeter Maler (Muralist) - ihr zwar nie treu war, sie aber zu immer neuen Höchstleistungen anspornte.