In her recovery, to combat her depression she was convinced to try lithography at a local printmaking workshop, where she struggled with the medium. One of only six known impressions from this experience, El aborto is the only significant print she ever made, graphic in its anatomical references to her miscarriage but powerful in its symbolism. Biographer Hayden Herrera observed that in the print Kahlo’s body is divided into light and dark halves, revealing the two sides of her psyche and implying that for her, making art must take the place of making children.
We are now open and thrilled to welcome you back safely to the de Young museum! You can see Frida Kahlo's El aborto on view in Gallery 60 as part of the special exhibition Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving. With your health and safety as our top priority, we’ve made some changes to create additional time and space for everyone.
Read Our Safety Plan
Text by Karin Breuer, curator in charge of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts. This text is an excerpt from the upcoming selected works publication, de Young 125, available for presale in Spanish, Mandarin, and English from the Museum Stores.
Learn more about works on paper and the Achenbach Foundation For Graphic Arts.