"Through her art, Herrera writes, Kahlo made of herself both performer and icon. Through this long overdue biography, Kahlo has also, finally,been made fully human." — San Francisco Chronicle

Hailed by readers and critics across the country, this engrossing biography of iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo reveals a woman of extreme magnetism and originality, an artist whose sensual vibrancy came straight from her own experiences: her childhood near Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution; a devastating accident at age eighteen that left her crippled and unable to bear children; her tempestuous marriage to famed muralist Diego Rivera and intermittent love affairs with men as diverse as Isamu Noguchi and Leon Trotsky; her association with the Communist Party; her absorption in Mexican folklore and culture; and her dramatic love of spectacle.

Here is the tumultuous life of an extraordinary 20th-century woman artist — with illustrations as rich and haunting as her legend.

This definitive biography goes beyond the myth to explore the flesh-and-blood woman who became a global icon:

A Revolutionary Life: From her childhood during the Mexican Revolution to her association with the Communist Party and Leon Trotsky, discover the political fires that forged her worldview.
Iconic Mexican Art: Delve into the sensual vibrancy of her paintings, born from her deep absorption in Mexican folklore, culture, and her own dramatic experiences.
A Tumultuous Marriage: Uncover the truth behind her tempestuous, larger-than-life partnership with the muralist Diego Rivera, a relationship as passionate and volatile as her art.
Pain and Resilience: Witness the unvarnished story of the devastating accident that crippled her at eighteen, and how she transformed a lifetime of physical suffering into breathtaking art.