![Frida Kahlo, Untitled [Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird]](https://media.timeout.com/images/106359849/1920/1080/image.webp "Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954), Untitled [Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird], 1940. Oil on canvas mounted to board. Nickolas Muray Collection of Mexican Art, 66.6. Harry Ransom Center.")
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Six months into the year, London has already been spoiled with loads of outstanding art exhibitions. We’ve had Zurbarán at the National Gallery, James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain, Tracey Emin at Tate Modern, Seurat and the Sea at The Courtauld, Catherine Opie at the National Portrait Gallery... we could go on.
But there’s one particular exhibition that’s been more hotly anticipated than all of those. And it finally arrives in the capital this month. One of the best things to do in the world this summer, Frida: ‘The Making of An Icon’ will open at Tate Modern on June 25.
The long-awaited, blockbuster show is London’s first major exhibition dedicated to Mexico’s greatest painter in eight years. It promises to provide insights into Frida Kahlo’s personal and professional life, to deep dive into her immense legacy, and to highlight the Frida fandoms across the globe and the diversity of communities – from disability rights campaigners to LGBTQ+ groups – who claim her as their own.
Visitors will get to see more than 30 pieces of work by Kahlo alongside over 200 pieces by her contemporaries (like Diego Rivera and María Izquierdo) and the artists that she has inspired since her death. Some of the most iconic paintings on display will be her Self-Portrait (With Velvet Dress) 1926 and Self-Portrait with Loose Hair 1938.
Alongside those paintings, there’ll be documents, photographs and archival materials, including Frida’s tehuana dresses and treasured possessions from her personal collection. The end of the exhibition will focus on ‘Fridamania’, with a room packed with more than 200 pieces of mass-produced Frida merch, from T-shirts and tequila bottles to Barbies and perfume.
Frida: ‘The Making of An Icon’ will be on at Tate Modern from June 25 2026 until January 3 2027. Tickets to the exhibition cost £25 for adults and £5 for children aged 12-18. Kids under 12 go free. Members go free and members of Tate Collective (for people aged 16-25) can get in for £5. Book your tickets here.
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