Frida Kahlo: Song of Herself

Frida Kahlo's extraordinary life has been well documented, but until now little has been known about the artist's personal thoughts on her internal and external reality. In this book, Kahlo expert Salomon Grimberg introduces and contextualizes an intimate, deeply introspective interview that Kahlo gave towards the end of her life to her friend the psychologist Olga Campos. Kahlo comments candidly as never before on her life, her loves and her art, and expresses her attitudes towards sexuality, her body, friendship, politics and death, among other personal concerns. The most revealing autobiographical text known on this singular woman, this startling interview is accompanied here by Campos's reflections on her relationship with Kahlo and a psychological assessment of Kahlo by Dr James Bridger Harris. The book is illustrated with selected vintage photographs and works by Kahlo, including previously unseen and rarely seen drawings. This book is NOT a Kahlo biography or discussion of her works.

The Mexican folk artist Frida Kahlo's life is well known yet she remains an enigma: here psychiatrist and Kahlo expert Salomon Grimberg introduces an interview she gave towards the end of her life to her psychologist friend Olga Campos - an interview which was never published, yet lends great insights into Kahlo's life. Campos's reflections on their relationship accompanies this unpublished survey and makes for an outstanding presentation essential for any folk art library or Kahlo collection.

The core of the book is a series of interviews an Olga Campos had with Kahlo when Campos was a student. In the book, it is more like a monologue than a typical interview format. There's no question-and-response: Kahlo's words on a variety of subjects have been grouped together. Among the subjects are Children, Animals, Social Conscience, and My Body. As expected, the Mexican artist's words on each subject are vivid, direct, revealing, honest, and personal--like her paintings. There's also considerable ancillary material, though it does not overshadow the interview. Sections by Grimberg named as the author, a psychoanalytic art historian, are the Introduction and following essay "With the Image in the Mirror" with material and commentary on Fahlo's life, personality, and art. Campos contributes the memoir "My Memory of Frida" preceding the rearrangement of the content of her interviews. After the lengthy part in Khalo's own words are sections on the artist's medical history and a psychological assessment of her. The variety of material--vintage and later, subjective and objective, medical and critical--presents a complex picture fitting for this most complex and fragile of artists. This work is a companion to the recently-published Frida Khalo - The Still Lifes from the same publisher also authored by Grimberg. Together the two books offer a fresh look at Kahlo in light of material which is new or has been neglected.