Which 1937 Frida Kahlo painting portrays Leon Trotsky?

Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky is Frida Kahlo’s 1937 painting associated with Leon Trotsky.

Kahlo painted the work after Trotsky arrived in Mexico as an exile from the Soviet Union. During his stay, he and his wife, Natalia Sedova, lived for a time at Kahlo’s family home, Casa Azul. Kahlo and Trotsky had a brief relationship, and the painting is traditionally understood as a personal dedication to him.

In the work, Kahlo presents herself holding a letter that includes a dedication to Trotsky. The formal self-portrait format combines her personal image with a direct political and emotional reference. It therefore belongs to both the history of Kahlo’s self-portraiture and the turbulent international politics of the 1930s.

The painting’s title is often shortened in casual discussion, but its full title is the clearest answer. It should not be confused with a conventional portrait of Trotsky alone.