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Customer Reviews (1)

Great Kahlo cards for the price!
The postcards included in this little book are nice. There are six reproductions of Kahlo's paintings, including
1) Self-Portrait (1926)
2) The Deceased Dimas (1937)
3) Doña Rosita Morillo (1944)
4) Girl with Death Mask
5) Self-Portrait with Monkeys
6) Still Life with Parrot

So, be aware that only 2 of the 6 cards are self-portraits. Although we really like Deceased Dimas and Girl with Death Mask, we know a lot of other Kahlo fans who mostly prefer her self-portraits. The cards are good quality, but the only thing we didn't really like is that since they are bound, the perforated edge really stands out. If you want to use it for a note, you would need to trim that edge.These cards are best to use in paper arts, scrapbooking, or some kind of craft-- not for actually writing notes or displaying them.

We would recommend Frida Kahlo Postcard Book (Collectible Postcards) if you are looking for high-quality cards suitable for framing or display. However, this is a nice alternative at a very low price. (Can't beat the price!) ... Read more

Product Description
When he mother was worn out from caring for her five sisters, her father gave her lessons in brushwork and color. When polio kept her bedridden for nine months, drawing saved her from boredom.When a bus accident left her in unimaginable agony, her paintings expressed her pain and depression ­ and eventually, her joys and triumphs.Again and again, Frida Kahlo turned the challenges of her life into art. Now Jonah Winter and Ana Juan have drawn on both the art and the life to create an insightful, playful tribute to one of the twentieth century¹s most influential artists. Amazon.com Review
Beset by one shattering ordeal after another, world-renowned painter Frida Kahlo always managed to channel her anguish into creativity. Frida, by Jonah Winter and illustrator Ana Juan, is an exquisite and playful glimpse into the artist's life and work. Filled with the folk art icons of Frida's Mexican culture--monkeys, devils, smiling skeletons, and sympathetic jaguars depicted with acrylics and wax on paper--the book describes, in short streams of text, the feisty, irreverent, fierce nature of the artist. One especially memorable illustration, based on one of Frida Kahlo's own paintings, shows Frida herself caught in a tangle of thorns against a mournful blue night sky. The text reads, "After the accident ... her body will hurt, always." Author and illustrator's notes add background information, but this stunning book from the author of Diego, about famed Mexican muralist (and husband of Frida) Diego Rivera, is a spectacular, lush introduction to an inspiring woman and her art. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Wonderful!
I bought this because I teach Spanish at an elementary school. I love Frida Kahlo and always incorporate lessons about her and her art, so I was excited to find this book.

It is a good introduction to Frida and her life, and the illustrations are beautiful. They are very imaginative, which I thought was a good reflection of Frida's artistic style. My first and second graders were fascinated with the book, and we talked a lot about how Frida used her imagination to help her get through difficult things.

I highly recommend this book, for art lovers of any age!

Frida
I am a teacher. I have used this book in the past as a lesson spin-off but it has been out of print and I coupldn't find it. I was thrilled to find a used copy very inexpensively. This was well worth the price. Thank you

Such a lovely and inspiring book for everyone
This book is so beautiful! It is quite possibly the best children's picture book I've ever read. I love Frida Kahlo, and this tells her story and the essence of her painting in a way that's imaginative, accessible, and very moving.

The illustration style is dreamy, surreal, imaginative, and evocative. I really love expressive touches like the frowning imaginary doctor figure when Frida is bedridden as a little girl, and the image of teenage Frida wrapped with thorns, floating up in the sky, with a crying moon, after her accident. It expresses so well her pain, and her way of overcoming and depicting it artistically.

The story is so well-written. It manages to be very deep but accessible to children. It gives you a real sense of who Frida is, the essence of her personality and art. I think everyone would love it and be moved by it. I also think it's important for children to know about Frida and be inspired by her - they will certainly be inspired by this book, which tells about her life in a very moving, penetrating way - in a way that I think they would understand and be touched by. I think my favorite lines may be, "She paints what she sees in her heart - on top of what she sees with her eyes," "Frida imitates no one in her style," "She turns her pain into something beautiful."

Beautiful art by Frida Kahlo
At school my whole class read this book for read aloud! It was a very good book. Frida was very good at art. She had five sisters but it seamed like they didn't pay attention to her! She was always lonely and she was bored.But atleast she had Imaginary friends to comfort her. One day she got in a horrible bus accident! Read this book to find out how Frida turned out after her pain. Reccomended for people who may want to learn how to turn pain into beauty.

Beauty from Pain
More than once, creating art saved Frida Kahlo's life.Even though she had five sisters, she was almost always lonely and sad.When she was infected with polio and she was very sick, even her imaginary friends couldn't cheer her up, but painting and drawing rescued her.Most of her life, she was in heart-breaking pain after being in a horrible bus accident.Read this book to find out how art saved her once more.Recommended for people who want to learn how Frida Kahlo turned terrible pain into beautiful masterpieces. ... Read more

Product Description

Frida Kahlo was born in 1907 to parents of German and Spanish descent, in Coyoacan, outside Mexico City. After contracting polio at age six, Frida also suffered severe injuries in a bus accident. Her time spent in recovery turned her toward a painting career. These experiences, combined with a difficult marriage to the artist Diego Rivera, generated vibrant works depicting Frida's experiences with pain as well as the symbolism and spirit of Mexican culture. Though she died in 1954, interest in her work continues to grow, with museum exhibitions and publications around the world. This biography will introduce art students and adult readers to one of the Latino culture's most beloved artists.

In 2002, the film Frida introduced the artist and her works to a new audience. In 2007, the 100th anniversary of Kahlo's birth, a major exhibition of her work was held at the Museum of the Fine Arts Palace in Mexico. In 2007 through 2008, another major exhibition began its journey to museums throughout the United States.

Product Description

Product Description
Por estas paginas desfilan el colorido Coyoacan y el ambiente bohemio de Pari­s o Nueva York. Personajes como Leon Trosky y Tina Modotti, la famosa Casa Azul y las banderas rojas y, por supuesto, la famosa historia de amor entre Frida y Diego, como arquetipo de una epoca tumultuosa y aventuras transitorias. ... Read more

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Frida Kahlo’s work comes to life—literally—in this magical realist novel, the latest addition to Watson-Guptill’s acclaimed Art Encounters series.The story alternates between Kahlo’s home in Mexico City, Casa Azul, and the journey of a teenage girl and her young brother, lost in the city.At the mystical Casa Azul, everything with a face talks—including Kahlo’s pet monkey, her cat, portraits on the wall.Over the course of the book, the cover painting Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, transforms from a nightmarish vision of death into a life-affirming masterpiece.This dramatic story offers a vivid reimagining of the life and work of a woman as well known for her amazing life as for her amazing art. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Gives a more personable account of a famous person
The simultaneous stories of Frida Kahlo following her divorce to Diego Rivera, Maria and Victor Ortiz in their search of their mother in Mexico City, and the wresting match between El Corazon and El Diablo are told by Laban Carrick Hill in Casa Azul. Fourteen year-old Maria and her nine year-old brother Victor board a bus from their small village to go to Mexico City after the death of their grandmother. Maria seeks not only her mother but also the independance she was denied in her village. They meet Oswaldo, the accomplice of the wanted thief Oscar soon after arriving in Mexico City. Although Maria does not trust him, Maria and Victor enjoy adventures together and view Mexico City froma vantage point that few visitors ever see. Maria tells Victor of the matches of El Corazon and El Diablo, famed in Mexico when they are feeling down to keep him excited and entertained. However, this simple story turns out to dictate a lot to each of the characters in Casa Azul. Frida Kahlo's childhood home of Casa Azul is not only magical with her paintings talking and giving advice, but also caring with Fuland and Chico, her monkey and cat. Their animated conversations keep the reader entertained. This episode of art history gives the reader, whether an art lover or not, an intimate look at a famous artist often put in the backgound because of her famous husband Diago Rivera. The satisfying ending makes the novel well worth reading.

Laban Carrick Hill does an excellent job of personifying the name, Frida Kahlo, that students often read in textbooks. The parallel stories especially add to the drama because the reader is constantly wondering about what is happening to the other characters until they finally all meet each other. Casa Azul is a page turner not only because of the depth into which each story is told but more so because of the switching view points. Similar to historical fiction telling the stories of figures of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, Hill's art fiction draws the reader into the history a lot more than a textbook would and definitely gives a more personable account of a famous person. I doubt that Casa Azul will become a best seller but it is definitely worth reading whether one knows anything about Frida Kahlo or not. I wish the author would have included more historical facts about the Mexican Revolution istead of just hinting at it.

Reviewed by a student reviewer for Flamingnet Book Reviews
www.flamingnet.com
Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations ... Read more

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The first full-length feminist analysis of Frida Kahlo and the myths surrounding her. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Frida analysis
A fascinating perspective and interpretation of some of Frida Kahlo's mostfamous paintings awaits the reader who has patience. I say patience because the book can be a bit overwhelming with morereferences than a university thesis. Each page is full of other authors opinions andquotes who author Margaret A. Lindauer does a marvelous job of threading together. She has an agenda in her writing so you will have to follow her arguments. She does a good job of taking a different approach on occacions from such notable Frida biographers as Martha Zamorra and Hayden Herrera, as well some other more obscurecontributors.At other times she utilizes their writings to illustrate her points. So what are her points? As Lindauer states, "her investigation has not been directed toward determining "correct" interpretations. Rather I am interested in the consequences of inscribing particular idealogies within distinctinterpretive methodologies, and in consciously selecting theoretical approaches according to the ways in which they revererate with ongoing political negotiations." The reason I quoted such a long passage, actually a sentence and a few words, is because this gives you a flavor for the writing. This style may not be for everyone. Written like a college textbook there are plenty of juxtapostions, binary relationships, patriarchal presciptions, masculinist discourses, dichotomies and paradigmatic feminie qualities to make sure you keep the dictionary close by. These are some of the more common and easier terms used as she really bogs down the discourse with her use of language.I consider myself to have a good vocabulary but found myself seeing words I have never encountered before. Since the rather dense style demands so much attention it is also a book that is best read without distractions. Linduaer reexamines Kahloand Rivera's relationship, Kahlo's physical and emotional beingand the concept of women being sickly, th surrealist movement as prescibed by men, Kahlo's use of Tehuana dress in political terms and eventualy the cult of Fridamania that was so pervasive in the 90's and continues to this day. So is it a good Frida book? Yes and no, no if this where you are beginning your study of Frida Kahloand yes if you have read most books available and are still "Devouring Frida." All in all it is an interesting examination of Frida but one that will have you scratching your head at times wondering what the heck did she just say. By the same token it is a book that sparks the thought process and lets you know just how esoteric art history can be. Recommended for Fridacoholics only.

THE frida source
I purchased this book on Frida because I was intersted in learning more about her life/works.After researching several books about Frida, I can clearly state that this is the most detailed book about her works.Whetheryou have a fascination for Frida Kahlo or you are an art historian wantingto learn more about her exteremly unique paintings, you should buy thisbook.However, the paintings of Frida are relatively small and are blackand white.If you are serious about learning more about Frida I wouldrecommend getting a hold of Frida book that shows her paintings in detail(perhaps The Brush of Anguish by Martha Zamora). ... Read more

Product Description
At last--vivid, full-color postcards featuring Frida Kahlo's most popular works in a high-quality, inexpensive collection. This compilation of Kahlo's most famous and haunting works was selected from her passionate self-portraits, exotic still-lifes, and semi-surreal scenes. 22 full-color postcards. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great for decorating
I gave this as a gift and it ended up in her scrapbooks and little frames around the house.Very cool!

Frida is amazing as a postcard
My mom got me this postcard book for Christmas. The postcards are lovely. They are pictures of Kahlo's artwork and even pictures of herself. I need to buy this because I love the pictures too much to give them away!

Kahlo Postcards - Great for Framing
This book contains 22 postcards featuring 17 full-color popular works of art as well as 5 photographs of the artist herself.The compilation of images consists of self-portraits, still life, surreal scenes and black & white and color photographs.Painting dates, titles, size and medium are printed on the back of each card.Painting titles are in English and Spanish.Cards are 4½" x 6¼" and are suitable for framing.

BEAUTIFUL SELF PORTRAITS OF AN AMAZING WOMAN!
These card's are exquisite and I intend to frame them in a grouping on the wall. This is truly an amazing woman, the life and time's of which would make an interesting film.

Frida Kahlo lived in the times of great upheaval in Mexico. And went thru much pain and suffering, due to illness and a tragic accident. I am readin one of her biography's written by Haden Herrera, and it is great, in that is is based on letter's she wrote to her school chum and boyfriend. ciao yaaah 69

The Life of Frida!
The most wonderful person ever, her life storyhas to be the most inspiring one to any young girls who would like to change their path and get on the right direction to a bright and happy life. I would recommend this book to any one and we all can learn from her struggle life and look at our own. ... Read more

Product Description
Kahlo's illustrated journal documenting the last ten years of her life reveals many new dimensions of the Mexican artist. The journal covers the years 1944-54 and contains Kahlo's thoughts, poems and dreams and reflects the stormy relationship with her husband Diego Rivera. Includes an introduction by Carlos Fuentes and a commentary by Sarah Lowe. ... Read more

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For the countless admirers of Frida Kahlo's bold and passionate art, here are 75 full-color paintings, numerous historical photographs, and authoritative text detailing significant episodes in the artist's life. Now available in an affordable, beautifully produced paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Get the Spanish version
This edition is a pretty good overview of Frida's life with some outstanding colorful reproductions of her works. There is also a very satisfying collection of photographs, both in black and white and color, to cure the voyeur in you to see Frida as she really lived. For example, if you enlarge the back cover shot here you can see the cigarette in her left hand that she wasapparentlyusually without. If you thought it was only the pain of her life that resulted in very few photographs of her smiling think again. The results of her heavy smoking habit produced a poor set of teeth that were blackened and not very flaterring; hence the rare smiling picture. The book has some rare photographs, including one of her laughing and her hideous teeth. The text is easy to follow and gives a whirlwind tour of Frida's life, complete with recollections by friends and other anecdotes. Included is a chronology, list of illustrations anda selected bibliography.My big complaint about this book, and it may you serve you if you are able to read Spanish, is that it is a short version of the original. I have run down a copy of the original Spanish book, "Frida: El Pincel de la Angustia" and it is highly recommended over this translated version. I cannot over state this recommendation . This version is almost like an abridged text by comparison. Case in point, the original has nearly four times as many pages! The abundance of pages is not filler either as it has many more photographs, paintings and more importantly, text. If you hunt around you can find the original at an affordable price. All in all this is a good addition, but not edition, to your library on Mexcian Art or personal Frida Kahlo book collection.

Great Introduction to Kahlo's work
This book is recommended for the reproductions of her work.Zamora gives a nice and thoughtful description of the painter's life.I just finished Kate Braverman's fictional account of the life of Kahlo on her last day--and I highly recommend it! The prose alone transforms Kahlo's paintings into a highly intelligent novel, and uses as a catalyst, one of our most important painter's work as an inspirational canvas for one of our most important writers.

excellent biography
I had no idea who Frida was, untill I saw some of her slides in my self portrait class and that led me to read more about her.

This book is an excellent biography of Frida and has an amazing account of her tragic life and how it transformed her personality, not to mention her paintings and especially her self portraits.

The book covers her major art work and the flow of the book is coincided with her life. You can see what was happening at a particular juncture in her life and what kind of work she was producing.

A Good Summary
This is a good book for those people who are interested in a short biography on one of Mexico's most respected and well known icons. Zamora's book not only gives a brief vivd account on Frida's life but alsoillustrates some of her famous work. The one down side I found to this bookis that Zamora does not talk about in more detail some of Frida's paintingswhich are shown like "Four Inhabitants in Mexico City," but allin all this is a good book which I found very interesting.

Great book!
Frida Kahlo is my favorite artist, so of course I love this book. Other reasons I love it: the pictures, which show Frida's exquisite beauty, the paintings (not any I haven't seen, though I still love seeing them), andthe story, which told some things I did not know. Although I really likethis book, it was not very in-depth. I already knew most of the informationthat was in it. ... Read more

Product Description
Braverman’s imagined life of Frida Kahlo begins and ends within the mind of the painter, at 46, on her deathbed. Reflecting on people, places, and events in her past, Frida is defiant, bearing the wounds of her body and spirit with a stark pride. Through memory and hallucination, Frida talks of men, art, and philosophy. Though she loves Diego Rivera, she openly scorns his limited vision and his “vulgar and inconsequential murals.” In her bold, surprising, and vivid award-winning style, Braverman plumbs the psyche of an uncompromising woman and artist. “Ms. Braverman possesses a magical, incantatory voice.” — The New York Times ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Appropriately Surrealistic
This is a beautiful poetic book, and its surrealism is appropriate to a surrealist painter.In the novel Frida Kahlo denies that she's a surrealist, but surrealism is about providing greater insights into reality than surface realism can.I see that in Kahlo's work and in this novel.I don't advise reading this book if you know nothing about Frida Kahlo. It's completely non-linear and isn't meant to be a biography.This book's truth is the truth of myth poured onto the page in artful language.

A walk on the weird side
I've read other works fictionalizing Frida Kahlo and I differ greatly from the opinions of the others who claim this was a great read. I felt it was too left field and poorly imagined.

An Everlasting Pain
The Incantation of Frida K: The first parargaph was irresistable and left me curious. Her story is like no other, its compelling and mysterious. Told by Frida herself, she goes through many various stages in her life. While becomming addicted to morphine and cigarettes you really get to know her pain and thoughts.

An absorbing and engagingly imaginative read
The Incantation Of Frida K. by Kate Braverman is a work of sophisticated fiction that brings the reader along on an imaginary tour of the late Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's life. A profound and vivid testimony of the years hard living and equally hard playing, as well as an inward journey at the moment of death, The Incantation Of Frida K. is an absorbing and engagingly imaginative read.

Take a wild trip into the mind of Frida Kahlo
The Incantation of Frida K. by Kate Braverman

Here is yet another telling of the fascinating life of Frida Kahol, done in an unusual way by author Kate Braverman. The story is told by Frida while she is in a drug-induced state as she lays on her deathbed.Because of her state of mind, the book seems to read like a hallucinatory dream, with spurts of reality mixed in.

Frida tells her life story in bits and pieces, from the first day she meets her future lover and husband, artist and communist Diego Rivera, to her own exploits as a celebrated artist and fellow communist, and the accident that left her a cripple all her adult life. Since her memories are being told while in a drug-induced state, it is difficult to determine what is fiction and what is fact.

I found this a highly unusual book and rank it among my top 20 books of 2002.It is definitely not the book to read for one that wants to know more about Frida, but it is more of a work of art. Kate Bravermen takes the reader into the mind of an eccentric artist, and it is a fascinating journey. ... Read more

Product Description
Frida Kahlo’s extraordinary life has been well documented, but until now little has been known about the artist’s thoughts on her internal and external reality. In Song of Herself, Kahlo expert and child psychiatrist Salomon Grimberg introduces and contextualizes an intimate, deeply introspective interview that Kahlo gave towards the end of her life to her friend the psychologist Olga Campos for an unpublished book on the creative process. Kahlo comments directly and starkly as never before on her life, her loves and her art, and expresses her attitudes towards sexuality, her body, friendship, politics and death, among other personal concerns. The most revealing autobiographical text known on this singular woman, this startling interview is accompanied here by Campos’s reflections on her relationship with Kahlo and a psychological assessment of Kahlo by Dr James Bridger Harris. The book is illustrated with selected photographs and works by Kahlo, including previously unseen and rarely seen drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Kahlo's Personal Thoughts Revealed
Frida Kahlo's extraordinary life has been well documented, but until now little has been known about the artist's personal thoughts on her internal and external reality. In this book, Kahlo expert Salomon Grimberg introduces and contextualizes an intimate, deeply introspective interview that Kahlo gave towards the end of her life to her friend the psychologist Olga Campos. Kahlo comments candidly as never before on her life, her loves and her art, and expresses her attitudes towards sexuality, her body, friendship, politics and death, among other personal concerns. The most revealing autobiographical text known on this singular woman, this startling interview is accompanied here by Campos's reflections on her relationship with Kahlo and a psychological assessment of Kahlo by Dr James Bridger Harris.

The book is illustrated with selected vintage photographs and works by Kahlo, including previously unseen and rarely seen drawings.This book is NOT a Kahlo biography or discussion of her works.

An outstanding presentation essential for any folk art library
The Mexican folk artist Frida Kahlo's life is well known yet she remains an enigma: here psychiatrist and Kahlo expert Salomon Grimberg introduces an interview she gave towards the end of her life to her psychologist friend Olga Campos - an interview which was never published, yet lends great insights into Kahlo's life. Campos's reflections on their relationship accompanies this unpublished survey and makes for an outstanding presentation essential for any folk art library or Kahlo collection.

interview with Frida Kahlo is the basis for a multifaceted view of her
The core of the book is a series of interviews an Olga Campos had with Kahlo when Campos was a student. In the book, it is more like a monologue than a typical interview format. There's no question-and-response: Kahlo's words on a variety of subjects have been grouped together. Among the subjects are Children, Animals, Social Conscience, and My Body. As expected, the Mexican artist's words on each subject are vivid, direct, revealing, honest, and personal--like her paintings.

There's also considerable ancillary material, though it does not overshadow the interview. Sections by Grimberg named as the author, a psychoanalytic art historian, are the Introduction and following essay "With the Image in the Mirror" with material and commentary on Fahlo's life, personality, and art. Campos contributes the memoir "My Memory of Frida" preceding the rearrangement of the content of her interviews. After the lengthy part in Khalo's own words are sections on the artist's medical history and a psychological assessment of her. The variety of material--vintage and later, subjective and objective, medical and critical--presents a complex picture fitting for this most complex and fragile of artists.

This work is a companion to the recently-published Frida Khalo - The Still Lifes from the same publisher also authored by Grimberg. Together the two books offer a fresh look at Kahlo in light of material which is new or has been neglected.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Frida to Your Friends
If you are a fan of Frida Kahlo, this is a must have. This little book packs a big punch with stunning reproductions of some of Frida's famous self-portraits on postcards. The cards are printed in full color on quality heavy-duty paper (they survive well in the post). They tear out easily, so no rips occur. All you have to do is write a note, put a stamp on and drop them in the mail. Your friends will enjoy getting something cool in the mail instead of just bills.

A Great Gift for a "Frida Fan"
This book contains postcards depicting 30 of Frida Kahlo's famous paintings. All are in full color with painting titles printed on the back in English, German and French. Cards are suitable for mailing or framing. This book also contains a brief one page biography in English, German and French. A great gift for a "Frida Fan".

Stunning Reproductions Bring Frida's Work To Life!
Tashchen brings Frida Kahlo's revolutionary art to life with these 30 stunning postcard reproductions. The colors are true and Frida's self-portraits are exceptional. These tear-out cards make wonderful "thinking of you" notes for friends and fellow Frida fans...or keep them all for yourself. I have many posted on my bulletin board at work, and on my refrigerator at home.

This gorgeous postcard book also makes a wonderful stocking stuffer - the holidays are right around the corner!!
JANA ... Read more

Product Description
Narrated by Frida Kahlo's younger sister, Cristina, this haunting and powerful fictional account chronicles Kahlo's life, from a childhood shadowed by polio to the accident at eighteen that left her barren, from her marriage to larger-than-life muralist Diego Rivera through her tragic decline into alcoholism and drug abuse. Through it all, Cristina is her sister's intimate confidante - and then her bitter antagonist when she has a not-so-secret affair with Rivera.

A towering tale of love, jealousy, betrayal, and sibling rivalry played out on a teeming canvas, Frida captures the essence of a passionate, tormented, and ferociously gifted woman. It is a compelling and intensely human portrait of an artist who would become an enduring icon for generations to come.

"Vivid . . . Burns with dramatic urgency." (The New York Times Book Review) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Frida by Barbara Mujica
A beautiful, inspiring, haunting and moving work of historical fiction. It truly captures the essence of Frida's unique personality. I loved every word!

An Interesting Perspective
This novel is a very interesting take on the life that surrounded famous Latin American artist Frida Kahlo. Told from the perspective of her sister, Cristina, we see more than just the eccentric paintings Kahlo is known for. Her life was full of medical ailments, love, lesbianism, betrayal, self-doubt and confusion, which she projected onto everyone around her, especially her younger sister. While it is a piece of fiction, Mujica is well respected in academic circles for being an expert on Frida Kahlo and Mexican history, which really adds another dimension to the story. You can brush up on your knowledge of art, Mexican politics and communist influence on North America during the early twentieth century.

The only problem I had with this novel is the fact that Mujica has Cristina tell her story to a psychiatrist, which I thought was unnecessary. You don't need an excuse to tell your story when it's as interesting as her's. This part of the story was not developed, which made it seem like an afterthought.

Overall, it is a very interesting, educational read.

Un otro libro sobre Frida: Bastante!
El tema de este libro es tan ovio. Con el reviviendo de interes en Frida, muchos autores han escrito sobre ella.Pero el complot de este novela no crece nada para el lector.El premisa es banal.La hermana de Frida relata sus memorias de la vida de la familia al psiciatrista. Porque?No se.Parece un trueco a presantar la vida del artista. Pero la herman es tan blando que el lector se aburrida rapidamente de sus memorias.Es verdad que Frida vivio una existencia de adventuras.Pero la hermana no tiene razon a comunicar que ya comprendemos.Quizas no somos expertos del arte Mexicano, but este libro no darlos a nosotros.

An engaging read!
I purchased this book without reading the backcover. It was only after I started reading the first few pages and then reading the back cover did I realize that this book is fiction.It disappointed me a bit but the book is still a very interesting read.Cristina's "poor me" attitude in the book was a bit overdone but it plays along with her real life character must have been like.

Entertaining
Rid yourself of all the facts and/or fiction you already know about the real Frida before reading this. If you admit and understand that this story is FICTION and pretend you never heard of anyone named Frida before, you might find yourself actually enjoying this book. The story is told through the eyes of a jealous, if not envious and guilt ridden sister named Christina. If Christina was anything but a whiny little wannabe mini-Frida, the book wouldn't have been quite as entertaining to me. I was willing to put up with Christina's boo-hoo's since I wanted to know more about Frida from Christina's point of view. ... Read more

Product Description
"I never painted my dreams, I painted my own reality. " -Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo is one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. Her tragic and dramatic personal life has been the subject of numerous biographies and a major film starring Salma Hayek. In recent years, public interest in Kahlo's life has threatened to eclipse serious consideration of her artistic achievement. This beautifully produced book, which accompanies a major exhibition, presents an enlightening retrospective of her work, refocusing attention on the artistic qualities that have made her paintings some of the most iconic images of the last 100 years.

Presenting major works alongside the lesser-known, and incorporating paintings, drawings, and photographs, the volume offers a thoroughly researched, accessible overview of Kahlo's career, with essays by leading critics and an extensive illustrated glossary that explores key recurring elements in her paintings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A life through portraits
The catalogue for the 2005 Tate exhibition, this book is a complete survey of F.Kahlo's career. Present here are her major portraits (of the Mexican high society as well as of her husband, Diego Rivera) and also her more famous self-portraits. An informative text helps the reader forget all the recent hype surrounding the artist and concentrate on her best legacy: her paintings, many of which are masterpieces of introspection and portraiture.Seeing all the self-portraits, one after the other, makes you understand the artist's life, pains and sorrows, better than any Hollywood mega-production...

a closer look at Frida's work
After seeing the film "Frida" starring Selma Hayek, I wanted to see more of Frida Kahlo's paintings. (I had already been to Mexico City where the guides readily show you Diego Rivera's murals but say nary a word about Frida except when she appears in Diego's works).

I am pleased I chose this beautiful and profusely illustrated coffee-table style book. It holds a place of honour on my bookshelves, its cover-jacket and self-portrait of Frida & her trademark "unibrow" facing the viewer as you walk in the door.

The book was produced to accompany the 2005 Tate Gallery exhibition of Frida Kahlo's work, and is a must-have for anyone wishing to have a closer look at her life and art without the trouble and expense of travelling to Mexico.

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Product Description
Extravagantly beautiful and psychologically complex, Frida Kahlo was a legend in her lifetime. Nearly 40 years after her death, that legend has evolved into a myth. In this collection of 70 photographs, many never before published, Kahlo is shown as innocent, comic, seductress, political activist, and mystery by such diverse photographers as Ansel Adams and Gisele Freund. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Nice Collection of Kahlo Photos
This book contains 60 B&W photographs of the legendary Frida Kahlo taken by some of the most famous photographers of the time: Ansel Adams, Lucienne Bloch, Lola & Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Imogen Cummingham, Frida's father Guillermo Kahlo, Nickolas Muray and others. The photos range from early childhood to her last days. A few of the photos I had not seen before but most of the photos in this book can be found in other more recent books on Kahlo.Although many beautiful color photographs of Frida were taken beginning in the late 1930s, none of them appear in this book....everything is in B&W.

In the beginning pages of the book, Elena Poniatowska writes Frida's memoirs as though she were Frida. At the end of the book, Carla Stellweg writes an essay covering the high points of Kahlo's life and her turbulent marriage to the famous Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera. In the back of the book there is a detailed chronology as well as a description of each photograph. The focus of this book is on the photographs. Although there are a few photos of Kahlo's paintings, not much is mentioned about her art.

This book is SO BEAUTIFUL!
The pictures are gorgeous and I liked Elena Ponitowskas essay in the book so much that I translated it into Swedish (my mother tongue), and now I'm illustrating it!

great pictures
ok, it's such a cliché, but frida kahlo herself is as fascinating as her art, and here are the pics to prove it. if it's out of pirnt, well, it's a good chance to take the trip to mexico and buy it, really worth it. ... Read more

Product Description
An extraordinary Mexican painter who became a legend in her own time, Frida Kahlo created some of the most original and dramatic imagery of the 20th century. This book focuses on Kahlo's work in still life, her uneasy relationship with Surrealism, and her many self-portraits. 45 illustrations, 20 in full color. ... Read more