It is difficult to think of an artist more iconic than Frida Kahlo, a figure whose artwork is as instantly recognizable as her personal style. An upcoming exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, organized by Mari Carmen Ramírez, the MFA’s curator of Latin American art, looks at the posthumous transformation of Frida (as she is widely known) from Diego Rivera’s partner to being recognized for her artistic achievements to the global celebrity she is today.
“‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’ attempts to separate Frida Kahlo the artist from Frida Kahlo the phenomenon,” said Ramírez in a statement. The show is not simply a retrospective of Kahlo’s work; it includes pieces by nearly 80 other artists across five generations who were inspired by Kahlo, among them Laura Aguilar, Judith F. Baca, Judy Chicago, Catherine Opie, Carrie Mae Weems, and many others. The Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico City also lent archival materials like photographs, documents, clothing, and jewelry.
Some of the most high-profile Kahlo paintings in the show are the 1949 self portrait Diego and I, which sold for a then-record $35 million at Sotheby’s in 2021, and My Dress Hands There, 1933, which ARTnews identified as one of the 100 best artworks about New York City.
“The Making of an Icon” is on view at the MFAH from January 19 to May 17, and travels to Tate Modern in London next summer. Below are highlights from the show by both Kahlo and other artists who have responded to her work.
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Nickolas Muray, Frida with her Pet Eagle, Coyoacán
Image Credit: Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Houston/© Nickolas Muray Photo Archives
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Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait (in a Velvet Dress)
Image Credit: Private Collection/©2025 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museum Trust, Mexico, D.F./Artists Rights Society, New York
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Frida Kahlo, Diego and I
Image Credit: Collection Eduardo F. Costantini/© 2025 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museum Trust, Mexico, D.F./Artists Rights Society, New York
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Frida Kahlo, Moses
Image Credit: Private collection/© 2025 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museum Trust, Mexico, D.F./Artists Rights Society, New York.
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Frida Kahlo, The Heart
Image Credit: Private collection/© 2025 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museum Trust, Mexico, D.F./Artists Rights Society, New York/Photo ©Christie’s Images/Bridgeman Images
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Frida Kahlo, My Dress Hangs There
Image Credit: Colección FEMSA/© 2025 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museum Trust, Mexico, D.F./Artists Rights Society, New York
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Rupert Garcia, Frida Kahlo (September)
Image Credit: Courtesy Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, De Young Museum/© Rupert García/Courtesy Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco
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Yreina D. Cervantez, Homenaje a Frida Kahlo
Image Credit: © Yreina D. Cervantez
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Miriam Schapiro, Conservatory (Portrait of Frida Kahlo)
Image Credit: Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum, Miami University/© 2025 Estate of Miriam Schapiro /Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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Dulce María Núñez, Homage to Frida
Image Credit: Private collection/private collection/©Dulce María Núñez
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Mary McCartney, Being Frida, London
Image Credit: © Mary McCartney
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Martine Gutierrez, Demons, Tlazoteotl ‘Eather of Filth’
Image Credit: © Martine Gutierrez/Courtesy Ryan Lee Gallery, New York
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Yasumasa Morimura, An Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo (Hand-Shaped Earring)
Image Credit: Courtesy Minneapolis Institute of Art/©Yasumasa Morimura/Courtesy Luhring Augustine, New York
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Nickolas Muray’s photo Frida on a White Bench, New York, surrounded by merchandise
Image Credit: Composite image courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
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Frida Kahlo, The Heart
Image Credit: Private collection/© 2025 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museum Trust, Mexico, D.F./Artists Rights Society, New York/Photo ©Christie’s Images/Bridgeman Images
