Description
Self-Portrait with Monkey is a 1940 work by Frida Kahlo: the painter looks out at us from a dense wall of green and brown leaves, a red ribbon is woven into her hair and wound in loose loops round her neck, and a small spider monkey peeps from behind her shoulder, its long dark arm curled round the back of her neck. She wears a yellow blouse with a fine woven diamond pattern. The original, oil on masonite, is 55.2 cm high and 43.5 cm wide and is held in a private collection. Our painter recreates it for you by hand in oil colours on canvas, in one of 8 portrait sizes from 40 x 49 to 140 x 180 cm or made to measure, and before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting.
| Title: | Self-Portrait with Monkey |
| Other titles: | Autorretrato con mono · Selbstporträt mit Affe |
| Painter: | Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) |
| Year painted: | 1940 |
| Original size: | 55.2 cm x 43.5 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on masonite |
| Painting style: | Mexican modernism |
| Located at: | Private collection |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Self-Portrait with Monkey – Frida Kahlo
What does Self-Portrait with Monkey show?
Frida Kahlo paints herself from the chest up, her head turned slightly to one side while her eyes look straight out of the painting. Her dark eyebrows meet above her nose in a single line, her cheeks are flushed pink and her lips are pressed together.
On top of her head a bright red ribbon is twisted into a thick roll, then runs down through the braid behind her ear, and its free end drops over her shoulder. A red ribbon also circles her throat in loose turns, with its ends hanging over her chest.
At the left edge, half hidden in the leaves behind her right shoulder, sits a small spider monkey with dark fur, a pale little face and large round eyes. It too stares straight at us. Its long arm wraps round the back of the painter’s neck, so that its dark, slender-fingered hand rests on the far side near her collarbone.
Kahlo wears a mustard-yellow blouse with a small woven diamond pattern and a round neckline embroidered in gold. Large leaves fill the background right into the corners, in olive, dark green, brown and ochre, each with fine pale veins.
What do we know about how it came about?
The painting dates from 1940. Kahlo and the muralist Diego Rivera had divorced the year before; in December 1940 they married again in a simple civil ceremony.
After the separation Kahlo moved back to the Blue House (La Casa Azul) in Coyoacán. At that time she painted more portraits cropped at the chest, which were easier to sell, and this is one of them.
At the Blue House she was kept company by friends, servants and many animals, among them spider monkeys, Xoloitzcuintli dogs and parrots.
According to Wikipedia, symbols from Aztec mythology recur in her paintings, including monkeys, skeletons, skulls, blood and hearts. In most of her self-portraits the face is mask-like and the meaning lies in what surrounds it, here the ribbon, the animal and the leaves.
Why do so many people love this self-portrait?
Frida Kahlo is known above all for her self-portraits, and this one brings together nearly everything that makes her recognisable: the direct gaze, the joined brows, the hair braided with ribbon, the Mexican blouse, an animal from her household and lush plants.
The vivid red of the ribbon stands out against the yellow blouse, and both glow in front of the dark green.
The work has no Wikipedia article of its own; the painter’s life, her animals and the symbols in her work are described in the Wikipedia article on Frida Kahlo (in English).
Where is the original?
The original is in a private collection, not a museum. Kahlo painted it in oil on masonite, a hard board of pressed wood fibres, while our painting is made on canvas.
At 55.2 cm high and 43.5 cm wide it is a modest size, best seen from close by.
Self-Portrait with Monkey or another Kahlo?
This canvas painting is warm and dark at once: the green ground calms a room, while the red and yellow bring light into it. It suits a bedroom, a study or a hallway.
The same year produced Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, where a monkey also sits at her shoulder and a necklace of thorns circles her throat. A year later came Self-Portrait with Braid, with a large looped braid on top of her head.
If you love her animals, look also at Me and My Parrots. The double self-portrait of 1939 is The Two Fridas. Our full range, from the famous Frida Kahlo paintings to quieter portraits, is on the Frida Kahlo page.
How does our painter paint Self-Portrait with Monkey?
Kahlo painted with clear, bright colours, firm outlines and a smooth surface that shows hardly a trace of the brush. Our painter keeps that character but works in oil colours on canvas instead of masonite.
First come thin layers for the dark and light leaves of the background and the outline of head, shoulders and monkey.
With a fine brush the painter then adds the details that bring the painting to life: the veins of every leaf, the hairs of the monkey’s fur, the gleam in the eyes of painter and animal, the folds of the ribbon and the tiny diamond pattern of the blouse.
The result is a Frida Kahlo reproduction in which the paint lies in real layers and shifts its tone slightly in the light. We paint every oil painting reproduction to order; none waits in a warehouse.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 40 x 49 or 48 x 60 cm for a small wall or above a bedside table, 55 x 70 or 68 x 90 cm above a chest of drawers or a desk, 77 x 100 or 99 x 125 cm above a sofa or a bed, and 110 x 145 or 140 x 180 cm for a large wall or a stairwell.
We paint Self-Portrait with Monkey in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 40 x 49, 48 x 60, 55 x 70, 68 x 90, 77 x 100, 99 x 125, 110 x 145 and 140 x 180 cm. Closest to the original is 48 x 60 cm, which is 4.5 cm wider and 4.8 cm taller; 40 x 49 cm is smaller than the original.
Because the face fills the foreground and the gaze is direct, hang it so that her eyes are roughly at your eye level. As a painting for the living room above a sofa, 77 x 100 or 99 x 125 cm works well.
Can I order a different size and a frame?
The original is close to 4 : 5 in proportion, so we can also paint it in a size that is not on the list without cropping the monkey or the end of the ribbon. Send us a request with the width and height you want, and we reply with a price and a lead time.
We can ship the self-portrait rolled, stretched or ready framed. Our workshop in Slovenia stretches it on a stretcher bar and frames it if you wish, as it does with every painting we send. The frame is chosen in our 3D app, which does nothing else; showing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
When will my painting arrive?
Once you confirm the order we start painting, and within 15 to 45 working days the painting is ready to travel. Before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting and make any changes you ask for.
There are no customs for Slovenia or any other EU country, and our returns policy covers every purchase.
Self-Portrait with Monkey makes a lovely gift for anyone who loves animals and Mexican art. If the right size is hard to guess, a wall art voucher leaves the choice to them.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
It is in a private collection and belongs to no museum.
What is around Frida Kahlo’s neck?
A red ribbon in loose loops, and the monkey’s long arm reaching round the back of her neck.
Is it a print?
No. Our painter makes each one as a hand-painted copy with brush and oil colours on canvas.
How big is the original?
It measures 55.2 cm in height and 43.5 cm in width; our nearest size is 48 x 60 cm.
Can I get it in another size?
Yes, we paint it in the width and height you choose and quote the price first.
How long does it take?
15 to 45 working days of painting, then we ship; no customs inside the EU.
Would it suit a bedroom or make a good gift?
Yes, the smaller sizes look lovely in a bedroom, and a voucher also makes a good present.
What does the monkey mean?
Kahlo kept spider monkeys at home, and in her paintings the monkey is also a symbol from Aztec mythology; there is no single reading.
- Subject: Frida Kahlo with a red ribbon in her hair and round her neck, a spider monkey behind her shoulder and dense leaves behind.
- Original: 1940, oil on masonite, 55.2 x 43.5 cm, private collection.
- Ours: hand-painted in oil on canvas to your order, in 8 portrait sizes from 40 x 49 to 140 x 180 cm or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: At the Blue House in Coyoacán, Kahlo lived with many animals, spider monkeys among them.
