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Primary sourcePainting1938

Self-Portrait with Monkey

Frida Kahlo · 1938

A 1938 self-portrait Kahlo painted for a New York patron, showing her with a pet monkey and a snake around her neck.

A commissioned self-portrait showing Kahlo's growing US patronage and her personal symbolism.

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Painting of a woman with dark hair braided and decorated with green ribbon, unibrow, red lips, and a white blouse, set against dense green leaves. A small monkey sits on her left shoulder, and a thin white snake is around her neck.
Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Monkey, 1938. Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting on masonite was made by Frida Kahlo in 1938. It was commissioned by A. Conger Goodyear, then president of the Museum of Modern Art, after he saw her first solo exhibition in New York that year. It is now held at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

Why it matters

The painting shows Kahlo's growing recognition among American art patrons in the late 1930s and her habit of including her pet animals in her self-portraits. It reflects both her personal world and her rising international reputation.

Look closer

  • Why do you think Kahlo often included animals like monkeys in her self-portraits?
  • What might the snake around her neck suggest, and why leave that open to interpretation?
  • How does being commissioned by an art museum president change how we read this portrait?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Frida Kahlo on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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