#19: Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954)
Frida Kahlo made her own life the subject of her art, including her physical disability, relationships, politics, heritage, and ideas about beauty. A serious illness in childhood and a bus accident in 1925 left her with lifelong health problems, and she turned to painting during long periods of recovery. Her self-portraits often showed details that traditional female beauty standards preferred to hide, including her facial hair and physical suffering. Kahlo was also a committed communist and had relationships with both men and women. Her marriage to muralist Diego Rivera was famously complicated. She painted herself as she was, and that alone made her difficult to place inside the neat expectations of her era.
