Here are 5 curiosities that you absolutely must know about the twentieth-century artist Frida Kahlo.

1. At the age of 18 she has a car accident

At 18, a bus accident changes her life dramatically, leading to temporary paralysis and causing her lifelong chronic pain and health problems.

2. A third of the works are self-portraits

Frida Kahlo’s works are famous all over the world, and a third of her works are self-portraits, for a total of 55 paintings. These self-portraits allowed her to express her life and her sufferings in a unique way.

3. She has had and portrayed several exotic pets

She has had and portrayed several exotic animals, including a monkey named Fulang Chang. Frida Kahlo, in fact, had a passion for exotic animals, which have often been part of her work. She had a monkey named Fulang Chang who she often portrayed in her paintings.

4. In 1953, Frida arrived at her first one-man show in Mexico by ambulance

In 1953, Frida Kahlo arrives at her first solo exhibition in Mexico in an ambulance, complete with a grand entrance. That exhibition was the first in a long series of exhibitions that brought her art to acclaim around the world.

5. Frida was born in the same place where she later died

Frida Kahlo was born in the same place where she later died: her Casa Azul, now a museum in Mexico City.