André Breton wrote the introduction to the catalogue for Frida Kahlo’s 1938 New York exhibition.
Breton was a leading French surrealist writer and theorist. He encountered Kahlo’s work through the French poet and collector André Breton, who became an important advocate for her art in Europe. Breton’s support helped frame Kahlo’s paintings within the international surrealist movement.
Kahlo resisted being defined simply as a surrealist. She famously argued that she painted her own reality rather than dreams, and her imagery was rooted in personal experience, Mexican traditions, physical pain, and biography. Nonetheless, surrealist artists and critics showed strong interest in her work.
Her 1938 New York exhibition was held at the Julien Levy Gallery. The exhibition was significant because it introduced Kahlo to a wider American audience before her later international recognition expanded further.