Frida Kahlo's Letters Reveal Resilience and Wit

A collection of Frida Kahlo's correspondence, compiled by Raquel Tibol—who served as Diego Rivera's secretary and interviewed Kahlo shortly before her death—has been published by Christian Bourgois éditeur. The book includes letters, catalogue texts, and dedications that depict Kahlo's ability to endure extreme physical pain, her husband's infidelity (including with her sister), and recurrent financial troubles, all while maintaining lucidity, humor, and generosity. The letters eschew grand theories on art or society, instead focusing on daily events, expressions of love and tenderness for lovers and friends, and exasperation with New York high society's insensitivity and bad taste, as well as with André Breton, who invited her for an exhibition in Paris but failed to organize anything—leaving Marcel Duchamp, whom she called "the only one with his feet on the ground," to assist her. A highlight is a portrait of Diego Rivera written for a catalogue at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The book is well translated by Christilla Vasserot, though it lacks sufficient annotations and a comprehensive biographical apparatus for readers unfamiliar with Kahlo's life. The review, written by Catherine Millet, recommends the book to those who complain about life, as it exemplifies how to reconcile sentimentalism with sexual freedom and fatalism with combative energy.