''Self-Portrait with Monkey'' (''Autorretrato con mono'' in Spanish) is an oil on masonite painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, commissioned in 1938 by A. Conger Goodyear, then president of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It is one of the many self-portraits painted by Kahlo for friends and patrons during her career. The commission came after Goodyear attended Kahlo's first solo exhibition in November 1938 at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York. There, Goodyear admired Kahlo's 1937 painting ''Fulang-Chang and I'', which depicted Kahlo with her pet monkey, but Kahlo had already promised this painting to her friend Mary Schapiro Sklar. The original is housed at the

Albright–Knox Art Gallery The Buffalo AKG Art Museum, formerly known as the Albright–Knox Art Gallery, is an art museum located adjacent to Delaware Park, Buffalo, New York, United States. The museum shows modern art and contemporary art. It is directly opposite Buff ...

in Buffalo, New York. American singer-songwriter

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

acquired this painting, and in 2001 she lent this piece at the

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...

exhibition ''Surrealism: Desire Unbound'', which was the first British exhibition dedicated to Kahlo.

References

Paintings by Frida Kahlo 1938 paintings Self-portraits by Frida Kahlo Paintings in the Buffalo AKG Art Museum Monkeys in art {{20C-painting-stub

See also

References