In recent years Frida Kahlo has become a household name and is arguably more recognized than any other Mexican artist. Even Diego Rivera is perhaps best-known north of the border as the husband of Frida.
However, Frida was not the only female artist of note in Mexico. María Izquierdo (1902-1955) was a contemporary of Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). In 1930 she was the first Mexican woman to have a solo exhibition in the United States. (Kahlo's first solo exhibition in the U.S. was not until eight years later.) Her career reached its peak in the early 1940s. In 1945 she was given a commission to paint a mural in the stairwell of the Federal District headquarters in Mexico City, the first time that a woman had received a major mural commission from the government. Diego Rivera, however, convinced the mayor of Mexico City to revoke the commission and said that she did not have the skill or experience to complete the project. Izquierdo famously retorted, "It is a crime to be born a woman and have talent." In 1948 she suffered a stroke which left her paralyzed on the left side. She continued, with difficulty, to paint, but she died in 1955 after suffering another stroke.
Iturbide's Palace, the colonial mansion which is the headquarters of the Cultural Foundation of Banamex, currently has some of Izquierdo's canvasses on display. Here are a few...
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