Frida Kahlo - Revolutionary

Frida Kahlo – Revolutionary follows Frida Kahlo's intellectual and artistic development, focusing on Mexican cultural life, left-wing politics, and her personal experiences with illness, disability, and grief. The book also examines her encounter with surrealism and her later affiliation with the Communist Party.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part explores Kahlo's political and artistic awakening in post-revolutionary Mexico. The second part delves into the complex symbolism of her paintings and their close connection to Mexican traditions and visual cultures. The final part takes a closer look at her relationship with surrealism and the interplay between her art and political convictions.

The publication is based, among other things, on art historian Dawn Ades' essay Kahlo, Surrealism, and the Mexican Revolution, which was originally written for a Frida Kahlo exhibition at The Dalí Museum in Florida, as well as her previously unpublished lecture Frida Kahlo and Surrealism: A Disavowal.