Frida’s Bed: sleep, dream and death

Photo: Frida Kahlo, # Painting #76: The Dream or The Bed, 1940; Licensed replica © Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2008

Frida Kahlo’s bed is probably the most iconic piece of furniture in her house.  Frida painted her bed (in “The Dream” or “The Bed”, 1940, Painting #76) and appeared on it at her first and last solo exhibition in Mexico City.  She even died in the same bed.  In Julie Taymor’s 2002 film “Frida”, the bed is used as a recurring theme associated with the artist.

The canopy bed with ceiling mirror presented in the Frida Kahlo Exhibition has been meticulously reproduced in size and materials and the reconstuction of her bedroom includes a variety of photographs that adorned her walls.  These photographs are an interesting representation of Frida’s personal and political beliefs.

One photo displays the portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao and is of particular historical interest as it illustrates Frida Kahlo political convictions. 

Numerous photographs document Frida Kahlo in her bedroom over the years; this has allowed the Curators of the exhiition to faithfully reproduce a section of her bedroom as it was when Frida Kahlo lived in the Blue House. This includes a gold watch hanging from her bed, the Amuzco embroidered bedcover, books, colored glass beads, small Maya sculpture and Mexican handicraft works.

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