"I was considered a Surrealist. That is not right. I never painted dreams. What I depicted, was my reality." Our book zooms right into this reality, and it does so in a new and unusual way: presenting Frida Kahlo's paintings in a general view and in selected details, it reveals the wealth of stories and creatures hidden in her self-portraits; it makes tangible the life-long physical and spiritual pain endured by the artist; and it illustrates painterly skills and techniques reminiscent of old European masters. Making visible what tends to escape one s notice in her seemingly familiar paintings, this lavish volume takes even inveterate Kahlo fans on a mesmerizing discovery trip to the sensuousness, the beauty, and the abysses of her world. This monograph presents Frida Kahlo's life and work in pictures. Frida Kahlo expert Helga Prignitz-Poda provides elaborate background information on each of the paintings.