Mari Carmen Ramírez is the Wortham Curator of Latin American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and founding director of the International Center for the Arts of the Americas.

“This profusely illustrated volume . . . carefully threads the nuances, contradictions and interests that inform the Kahlo phenomenon, tracing its reach across sectors. . . . [It] reaffirms Kahlo’s stature while pointing to the sustained effort to reread her legacy, rooted in the emotive connection her work forges with audiences.”—Constanza Ontiveros Valdés, Art Newspaper“Frida: The Making of an Icon . . . approaches Kahlo not just as a painter, but as a cultural construct shaped by politics, feminism, identity, and decades of reinterpretation. It’s the first major scholarly study to tackle Frida as a global icon—and why she still matters now, in our era of personal branding and perfectly curated chaos.”—Derek C. Blasberg, Substack

Mari Carmen Ramírez is the Wortham Curator of Latin American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and founding director of the International Center for the Arts of the Americas.

“This profusely illustrated volume . . . carefully threads the nuances, contradictions and interests that inform the Kahlo phenomenon, tracing its reach across sectors. . . . [It] reaffirms Kahlo’s stature while pointing to the sustained effort to reread her legacy, rooted in the emotive connection her work forges with audiences.”—Constanza Ontiveros Valdés, Art Newspaper“Frida: The Making of an Icon . . . approaches Kahlo not just as a painter, but as a cultural construct shaped by politics, feminism, identity, and decades of reinterpretation. It’s the first major scholarly study to tackle Frida as a global icon—and why she still matters now, in our era of personal branding and perfectly curated chaos.”—Derek C. Blasberg, Substack

Mari Carmen Ramírez is the Wortham Curator of Latin American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and founding director of the International Center for the Arts of the Americas.

“This profusely illustrated volume . . . carefully threads the nuances, contradictions and interests that inform the Kahlo phenomenon, tracing its reach across sectors. . . . [It] reaffirms Kahlo’s stature while pointing to the sustained effort to reread her legacy, rooted in the emotive connection her work forges with audiences.”—Constanza Ontiveros Valdés, Art Newspaper“Frida: The Making of an Icon . . . approaches Kahlo not just as a painter, but as a cultural construct shaped by politics, feminism, identity, and decades of reinterpretation. It’s the first major scholarly study to tackle Frida as a global icon—and why she still matters now, in our era of personal branding and perfectly curated chaos.”—Derek C. Blasberg, Substack