Which school did Frida Kahlo attend before becoming a painter?

Before becoming a painter, Frida Kahlo attended Mexico’s National Preparatory School.

She entered the prestigious school in Mexico City in 1922, when she was about 15. At the time, she intended to study medicine rather than pursue a career as an artist. The school was one of the country’s most important centers of intellectual life and had only recently begun admitting female students in significant numbers.

Kahlo belonged to a lively group of students known as the Cachuchas. Her education exposed her to political debate, literature, science, and Mexican nationalism. She also met people who later became important in Mexican cultural and political circles.

Kahlo did not complete a conventional medical education. Her 1925 accident interrupted her plans and contributed to the extended period in which she began painting seriously. The National Preparatory School should not be confused with the San Carlos Academy, an art institution associated with other Mexican artists.