THE DIARY OF FRIDA KAHLO

The discovery of Frida Kahlo's diary was major news in the art world; its publication in book form, with an introduction by Carlos Fuentes and commentary by Kahlo scholar Sarah M. Lowe, confirms the reasons for the buzz. A few critics with political agendas might ascribe the growth of Kahlo's reputation to feminist promotion of her martyr status—a childhood bout with polio that left one leg shorter than the other, a series of accidents culminating in a brutally crippling bus-and-streetcar crash that led to an unending round of surgeries and a life of constant pain. However, her work speaks brilliantly for itself, a startling and colorful surrealist exploration of woman's pain and the nexus of ancient and modern Mexican cultures. The diary, consisting of both text and art and begun in the mid-1940s, was never intended for public consumption. Although much of what is on display here might be classified as idle doodling by a great artist, it offers a powerful window into the creative process, a record of Kahlo's emotional status over the last decade of her life. Fuentes's essay is a rambling, overly clever affair, but Lowe's notes are succinct and informative. (Book-of-the-Month Club dividend selection)