This collection reveals the complexities, sadness, and creative spirit of the Mexican painter.

Frida Kahlo is probably the most idolized artist of her time. At the root of the scholarly speculation and pop-culture paraphernalia lies Frida Kahlo: An Open Life, first published in Mexico in 1983 and now available in an English-language paperback for the first time. This irreplaceable, eclectic collection reveals the complexities, profound sadness, and immutable creative spirit of the famed Mexican painter. The intimate picture of the often enigmatic Kahlo presented in this book has become an invaluable source for scholars. The author, a prominent Mexican art critic and historian, befriended Diego Rivera, Kahlo's husband, in Chile and in 1953 came with him to Mexico City, where she met and interviewed Frida Kahlo a year before Kahlo's death. She lived with Kahlo for a while in Coyoacon in Mexico City and then for a time at Rivera's San Angel Inn home. Frida Kahlo: An Open Life uses medical records, journals, letters, interviews, and personal recollections to bring us closer than ever to the Mexican artist and her milieu.