Portrait of Lupe Marín

Frida Kahlo completed this Portrait of Lupe Marín in 1929, the same year she married Diego Rivera. The oil on canvas shows Rivera's second wife in the Naïve Art style Kahlo was developing. The portrait has since been destroyed, making it one of Kahlo's lost works.

Lupe Marín (1895-1983) was a Mexican model and writer who had two daughters with Rivera before their divorce in 1927. Kahlo's decision to paint her husband's ex-wife reveals something about the complex relationships within Mexico's artistic circle. The women maintained a connection; Marín's daughters were raised partly by Kahlo and Rivera after the marriage.

Kahlo created this portrait during her early career, before the surrealist self-portraits that would bring her international recognition. The work's destruction means we rely on descriptions and reproductions to understand its appearance. It was originally held in a private collection before being lost.