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A little-known Frida self-portrait on display at the exhibition "Frida: The Making of an Icon"

A little-known Frida self-portrait on display at the exhibition "Frida: The Making of an Icon"

31 August 2026

Self-Portrait (Dedicated to Jacqueline Lamba), 1938, is an oil paint on a small metal sheet in the shape of a butterfly currently on display at Tate Modern.
As Lottie Jackson writes in her article published in The World of Interiors Review:

"At first glimpse the steel butterfly frame, with its portrait cocooned within, appears charming and decorative – almost trinket-like. To me, it recalls the sentimental aesthetics of girlhood: a cut-out picture of a best friend, a treasured keepsake, or even a curio plucked from the Sofia Coppola archive of unruly, intimate bedroomscapes."

The author highlights the contrast between the charming, decorative appearance of Frida Kahlo’s Self-Portrait (Dedicated to Jacqueline Lamba) and its deeper symbolic meaning. The butterfly-shaped steel frame, inspired by Mexican milagros, represents friendship, remembrance, protection and good luck. However, the butterfly is more than decoration: it symbolizes metamorphosis and rebirth, transforming the portrait into a reflection on the body, change and existence.

She explains that, in pre-Hispanic mythology, butterflies represented the souls of fallen warriors, symbolizing strength, transformation and rebirth after death. This meaning was especially significant for Kahlo because of her lifelong physical suffering and repeated surgeries.
By placing her portrait inside the butterfly, Kahlo presents herself as a warrior who transforms suffering into courage. Her confident gaze and the red, vein-like branches around her neck connect her to nature and suggest transcendence beyond the physical body. The use of oil paint on the metal frame also recalls Mexico’s ex-voto tradition, making the artwork resemble a sacred offering or shrine. Overall, the portrait represents Kahlo’s personal transformation, resilience, love and growing self-confidence.

Read the full article at this link.