Frida Kahlo’s life was a catalogue of damage. She was born with spina bifida and contracted polio at age six. At 18, she was in a bus crash so violent that a metal handrail pierced her pelvis; her spine was shattered in three places, her right leg broken in 11, and her collarbone and shoulder snapped. Kahlo lived with pain for the rest of her life, and could not have children. Toward the end, she was largely confined to her bed. Like Van Gogh, Kahlo was misunderstood in her own time and since then her suffering has been folded into her mythos. Today, she may be the most exhibited female artist in the world. Analyzing her art and her legend, this exhibition in London brings together more than 200 works by Kahlo and those she influenced. —Elena Clavarino