Arguably the most celebrated woman artists of the 20th century, Frida Kahlo was also the greatest collector of her own memorabilia. Over the course of her relatively short lifetime, Kahlo accumulated some 6500 photographs that captured hers and her soul mate Diego Rivera’s dynamic relationship to friends, family, and one another. From pictures of young Frida taken by her photographer father and candid views of Kahlo with creative pals to snapshots of her painfully enjoying a cigarette after one of the many surgeries to correct a teenage bus accident that left her body crushed or valiantly painting in bed while in traction after one such operation, a recent exhibition at Artisphere in Arlington, Virginia — titled Frida Kahlo: Her Photos — brought a selection of images from the her immense personal archive, which had been sealed for 50 years, to the American public for the first time. Click through to view a few of our favorites.
Guillermo Kahlo, Frida at four stages of her life, 1932. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
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Anonymous, Diego Rivera (in his studio in San Ángel,) ca. 1940. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Anonymous, Frida Kahlo and unidentified person, ca. 1930. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Gisèle Freund, Frida painting a portrait of her father, ca. 1951. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Anonymous, Frida painting on her bed with Miguel Covarrubias at her side, 1940. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Gisèle Freund, Frida Kahlo with Dr. Juan Farill, 1951. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Antonio Kahlo, Frida Kahlo smoking after an operation, 1946. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Nickolas Muray, Nickolas Muray and Frida Kahlo, 1939. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Lola Álvarez Bravo, Frida Kahlo, ca. 1944. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Florence Arquin, Frida Kahlo with Fulang Chang, ca. 1938. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Anonymous, Frida Kahlo and the photographer Tina Modotti, 1928. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere
Gisèle Freund, Frida Kahlo, 1951. Courtesy the Frida Kahlo Museum and Artisphere