Fridamania and Mexicanidad

Frida Kahlo was recognized (posthumously) as a national treasure in 1984. She may have been somewhat obscure in the three decades following her death but an internationally touring retrospective in 1982 re-introduced the art world to her powerful presence. A year later Hayden Herrera's best-selling biography (which soon led to a movie) introduced her to a whole lot more people. Frida became a symbol of pride - smart, strong-willed and independent while being so incredibly dependent - and far more familiar, to a wider audience, than her once over-shadowing husband and cohorts. I mean, when was last time you saw a Diego Rivera Day of the Dead figure?

This terra cotta platter was painted by Fidel Avalos Espinosa of Capula in the State of Michoacan, Mexico. It has a large 16" diameter and dates from the mid-1990s.