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Inv. n°: CL1324

Hammer and Sickle (and unborn baby)

This object is on display at the FAMM . Come experience it in person.

On this particular orthopedic corset, Kahlo painted a blood-red Hammer and Sickle expressing her lifelong political sympathies, and below, a developing foetus, a reminder of the still deeper insult of the accident – her inability to bear children. One of three plaster corsets painted by Kahlo, and the only one owned privately. The other two are in the collection of the Museo Frida Kahlo, Mexico City.

h. 41.28 x w. 33.02 x d.15.4 cm
c.1950
Dry plaster and mixed media

Provenance

  • Acquired from the artist
  • Francisco González de la Fuente, La Granja, by descent
  • Jesús González Vaquero
  • By bequest to Private Collection, Switzerland
  • Artemundi Global Fund
  • Private Collection, Bruxelles
  • Acquired at Heather James Fine Art, 2023

Publications

  • H. Herrera, Frida Kahlo: Las Pinturas / The paintings, Diana, Mexico, 1986 and 2005, pp. 180, 197
  • M. Zamora, Frida : El Pincel de la Angustia, Mexico, 1987 and 2007, p. 109
  • H. Prignitz-Poda, S. Grimberg, A. Kettenmann, Frida Kahlo - Das Gesamtwerk (catalogue raisonne), Neue Kritik, Frankfurt am Main, 1988, p. 229
  • M. Zamora, Frida Kahlo: The Brush of Anguish, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1990, pp. 119, 127
  • C. Monsivais; Rafael Vazquez Bayod, in Mexico, D.F.: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (ed.), Frida Kahlo: Una Vida, Una Obra, Ediciones Era; Galeria - Coleccion de Arte Mexicano, 1992, pp. 46, 167
  • J. A. Laidlaw, Frida Kahlo - Artists in Their World, Franklin Watts, London, 2003, p. 38
  • J. A. Laidlaw, Frida Kahlo, Blume, Barcelona, 2004, p. 38
  • S. Grimberg, Frida Kahlo, JG Press, 2006, p. 32
  • D. Rosenzweig, M. Rosenzweig, R. R. Flores Caballero, in Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño (ed.), El ropero de Frida, Museo Dolores Olmedo : Zweig Editoras, Metepec, Mexico City, 2007, p. 48
  • A. Garduño, J. G. Vaquero, La mirada de un anticuario, Fomento Cultural Banamex, 2007, p. 18
  • G. Rodriguez, Frida Kahlo: Homenaje Nacional 1907-2007 / National Tribute 1907-2007, Editorial RM Mexico, 2008
  • L. Jamison, "Frida's Corsets", The Paris Review, August 22, 2011
  • T. Dot, E. King, Passion, Politics and Painting, Art Gallery of Ontario, 2012
  • H. Prignitz-Poda, Frida Kahlo e Diego Rivera, Skira, Milano, 2014, pp. 146, 265
  • A. Kettenmann, Frida Kahlo 1907-1954: Pain and Passion, 2016
  • S Martínez Vidal, Frida Kahlo - Fashion as the Art of Being, Assouline, 2016, cover and illustration
  • C. Wilcox, C. Henestrosa, Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up, V & A Publishing, London, 2018, pp. 66-83
  • H. Van Nieuwenhove, "Het korset van Frida Kahlo op BRAFA", Artsen Krant, January 25, 2019
  • W. Mama, "Summer is the Season of Broken Flowers, Mexican Artist Frida Kahlo's Influence on Fashion", Medium, June 10, 2022
  • "The Story of Frida Kahlo's Plaster Corsets", Vintage Everyday, July 6, 2023
  • "FAMM - 1er Musée Privé en Europe Dédié aux Femmes Artistes", Beaux Arts Magazine, November 1, 2024, p. 180
  • "FAMM - 1er Musée Privé en Europe Dédié aux Femmes Artistes", Beaux Arts Magazine, Juillet-Août 2024, p. 208
  • J.R. Cohen, "Minor Threats: Women Artists and the Surrealist Movement", FAMM - Female Artists of the Mougins Museum, France, Merrell and FAMM, May 1, 2025, p. 57
  • E. Imbert, in Monaco Tribune (ed.), Le FAMM : Un musée qui met à l’honneur les femmes artistes, December 14, 2024
  • J. Wullschläger, "A blockbuster - with a fatal flaw", Sunday Times, Life & Art supplement, June 27, 2026, p. 12
  • Luca Rossi, "Versailles entre art et pouvoir : dix œuvres racontent l’histoire du palais du Roi-Soleil", Quaderni di Viaggio di Finestra sull’Arte, 2026, https://www.finestresullarte.info/fr/voyage/sur-la-cote-d-azur-il-existe-un-musee-qui-reecrit-l-histoire-de-l-art-sans-avoir-besoin-de-slogans

Exhibitions

  • Galerías “La Granja” formerly the site of the Santa Clara Convent, property of “Don Paco” (Francisco González de la Fuente), Mexico City, Mexico
  • Frida Kahlo, 1907-2007. Homenaje Nacional, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico, June 13, 2007 — August 19, 2007
  • La Mirada de un Anticuario, Palacio de Iturbide, Banco Nacional de México y Fomento Cultural Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico, 2007
  • Frida Kahlo Retrospektive, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany, April 30, 2010 — August 9, 2010
  • Frida Kahlo Retrospektive, Kunstforum Wien, 1st September – 5th December, 2010, Vienna, Austria, September 1, 2010 — December 5, 2010
  • Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting, Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario, Canada, October 20, 2012 — January 20, 2013
  • Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA, 12/05/2013
  • Frida Kahlo, Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome, Italy, March 20, 2014 — August 31, 2014
  • Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism, Palazzo Ducale, Genoa, Italy, February 20, 2014 — February 8, 2015
  • Mirror Mirror...Portraits of Frida Kahlo, Throckmorton Fine Art, New York, USA, May 21, 2015 — September 12, 2015
  • Frida Kahlo. Beyond the Myth, Museum of Cultures (MUDEC), Milan, Italy, February 1, 2018 — June 3, 2018
  • Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK, June 16, 2018 — November 18, 2018
  • Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving, Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA, February 8, 2019 — May 12, 2019
  • Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving, De Young Museum, San Francisco, USA, September 25, 2020 — May 2, 2021
  • My Own Skin: Friday Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Heather James Fine Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA, June 16, 2022 — December 31, 2022
  • FAMM (Femmes Artistes du Musée de Mougins), Mougins, France, from 21st June 2024 to present day
  • Frida: The Making of an Icon, Tate Modern, Londres, Angleterre, June 25, 2026 — January 4, 2027

©  2024 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, d.F. / Adagp, Paris (Corset) and Florence Arquin (Photography of Frida Kahlo wearing it)

N.B. Our online collection is being continually updated thanks to ongoing research and documentation efforts carried out by the FAMM documentation team. Any additional information is welcome, please contact us.