Wings to Fly

On Creativity and Endurance

Frida Kahlo (author) Louise Coigley (editor)

'I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy to be alive as long as I can paint.'

For many she represents triumph over suffering, but to Frida Kahlo, life, body and art were entirely intertwined.

Kahlo – friend, lover, teacher, patient, survivor, revolutionary – endured polio and scoliosis as a child, and then, at the age of 18, survived a catastrophic bus accident. Over the next 19 years she was to undergo over thirty surgeries. Yet her work, her magical, jewel-coloured paintings, her heartfelt, visceral art, continued to flow.

Using new translations from her diary, letters and interviews, Wings to Fly juxtaposes Kahlo’s paintings with her writings, and illuminates links between the personal and universal, the physical and imaginative, the pain and resolve – to truly inspire.

'Feet what do I need them for, if I have wings to fly?'

Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Born in Coyoacán, she survived a severe bus accident at 18 that left her with lifelong pain and long periods of immobilisation. During her recovery she began painting intensively, developing a striking visual language that blended personal suffering, Mexican folk traditions and surreal, dreamlike imagery. Kahlo’s work explored identity, the female body, politics and resilience, often using herself as subject and symbol. Today, Kahlo stands as an icon of artistic courage, Mexican cultural pride and the transformative power of creativity.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ September (imprint of Duckworth)

Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 2026

Print length ‏ : ‎ 192 pages

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0715657058

Item weight ‏ : ‎ 258 g