Frida

In a famous self-portrait, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo stands alongside her famous husband, Diego Rivera. He towers over her; she looks almost like a child trapped in the grip of a huge, bearish figure. But that image is deceptive, because Frida has proved to have a power that belies her diminutive stature. Although she painted in obscurity during much of her life, in recent years her reputation has grown and now equals that of her celebrated husband. Her striking self-portraits of a damaged but defiant woman clad in colorful Mexican garb have caught the imagination of the entire world. Kahlo has become a feminist icon--the epitome of the woman overpowered and victimized by a potent man but gradually emerging from his shadow. She now stands as one of the most revered women artists of all time.