Hidden Frida Kahlo: Lost, Destroyed or Little Known Works

In this fascinating look at over 180 “hidden” images Helga Prignitz-Poda, one of the world’s leading authorities on the Mexican artist, pulls back the curtain on masterpieces that rarely, if ever, see the inside of an exhibition or gallery.

Illustrated with stunning reproductions of works that Prignitz-Poda has discovered over the course of her career, this book helps expand our knowledge and understanding of this hugely popular artist. Arranged chronologically, the works include those Kahlo completed in her youth, works from her travels to America, paintings she made as an instructor in Mexico City, and a number of still-lifes from the last phase of her career. From largely unknown images, such as embroidery-stitched at the age of five and doodles on love letters to her boyfriend Alejandro, to well-known works such as My Birth (1932), now owned by Madonna, and Remembrance of the Open Wound, which was destroyed in a fire, these “hidden” artworks create an invaluable resource for Frida Kahlo scholars and will be treasured by the painter’s many fans.

About the author:

Helga Prignitz-Poda is an art historian and specialist in Latin American studies and lives in Istanbul and Berlin. She is a co-editor of the catalogue raisonné of Frida Kahlo's work and curator of the exhibition.