Frida Kahlo is one of the most recognizable artists of the 20th century, celebrated for intensely autobiographical paintings that explore identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in mid-century Mexico. At 18, she survived a devastating bus accident that shattered her spine, collarbone, ribs, and pelvis; she underwent 35 surgical operations over her lifetime. During her long recovery she began painting, largely self-portraits. She married muralist Diego Rivera twice, and their tumultuous relationship runs through her work. André Breton called her work Surrealist, but she rejected the label: 'I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.' She was virtually unknown outside Mexico during her lifetime; her international reputation was built posthumously.
