My Birth

Frida Kahlo completed this stark autobiographical work in 1932, depicting herself giving birth to herself. A shrouded figure lies on a bed while an infant emerges, watched over by an agonized Virgin of Sorrows. The painting carries dual meanings: Kahlo's mother had just died, so the covered figure may represent her; but Kahlo had also just miscarried in Detroit, so she may be the mother figure.

The work uses the retablo style, a traditional Mexican form derived from Catholic votive paintings where thanks would be given to the Madonna. Kahlo leaves the gratitude panel blank, as though unable to give thanks for either her own birth or her inability to give birth. The painting may also reference a 16th-century Aztec sculpture of the goddess Tlazolteotl giving birth.

Pop star Madonna owns this painting and has said she uses it to judge potential friends: "If somebody doesn't like this painting, then I know they can't be my friend." The work resides in her private collection and represents one of just five paintings Kahlo produced while in Detroit. Kahlo wrote in her diary that she was "the one who gave birth to herself."