Yasumasa Morimura, An Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo (Hand-Shaped Earring), color photograph on canvas, Minneapolis Institute of Art, gift of funds from Beverly Grossman, 2010.25. © Yasumasa Morimura, courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York.
HOUSTON, TX.- On Monday, January 19, 2026, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will debut Frida: The Making of an Icon. Conceived and organized by MFAH curator Mari Carmen Ramírez, the exhibition will trace Frida Kahlo’s posthumous transformation from relatively unknown painter to global brand. Featuring 35 works by Frida Kahlo that capture the arc of her artistic legacy, Frida: The Making of an Icon presents Kahlo and her art within the context of works by five successive generations of artists: painters, sculptors and photographers from an array of artistic and social communities and movements, who mined Kahlo’s paintings and personal history to claim her as their own. Frida: The Making of an Icon, travels to the Tate Modern, London, after its premiere in Houston.
Key contributions from the archives of the Documents Project of the ICAA (International Center for the Arts of the Americas) at the MFAH and Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico City will be featured. Photographs and archival material, including the artist’s clothing, jewelry and other personal items culled from Kahlo’s personal collections and other sources, provide additional context for the artworks…