The Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) is regarded as one of the great artists of the 20th century. Her celebrity status, achieved after her death, owes much to her turbulent life. The daughter of a German photographer and a Mexican mother, she survived polio at the age of six and a devastating road accident at the age of eighteen. Her injuries would lead, after many surgical interventions, to her death at the age of forty-seven.

But Kahlo lived the intervening years to the full. In 1929, she married the celebrated Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. She also took numerous lovers, male and female.

The V&A's 2018 exhibition, 'Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up', focused on her passion for the popular arts and visual traditions of Mexico. In 2026, Tate Modern will celebrate her life and work with a ground-breaking exhibition ‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’. (25.06.26 to 03.01.27)

Venue Information: Ardingly College Prep School Dining Hall and Drama Studio

There is a ramp between the dining hall and the drama studio.

WCs can be accessed via a few steps that do not have a handrail, or there is ramped access from the dining hall via the servery.  An accessible WC is available please ask for directions if necessary.

Parking - details will be available nearer the time as there may be contractors on site.  Disabled spaces near the venue can be reserved in advance.

If you are a wheelchair user or have specific mobility/disability requirements please contact the society before booking so that your needs can be discussed and accommodated.

In the unlikely event of a fire we will assemble on The Green - the grass area to the right as you enter the campus. The evacuation procedure and confirmation of the location of the assembly point will be explained at the start of the lecture.