Frida Kahlo: Artist, Activist, Icon

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter, feminist, and activist known for her rich and colorful surrealist self-portraits. Frida was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyoacan, Mexico. During her early years, she suffered from polio and was in an accident. The bus she was riding on with a friend collided with a trolley and left her with a long physical recovery. During her time in recovery, she decided to quit her plan to become a doctor and instead took up painting. Her father, also an artist, lent her oil paints and brushes while her mother commissioned a special easel, so that Kahlo could paint in her hospital bed.