There are few artists who inspire as much fervour and admiration as Frida Kahlo, whose life and legacy are explored in a new exhibition Frida: The Making of an Icon at Tate Modern, opening 25 June.

Here at Harper’s Bazaar, we have created a special July/August issue cover for the occasion – available exclusively at Tate Modern and its online shop – which features a self-portrait by the artist. Entitled ‘The Frame’, it was painted by Kahlo in 1938 on a sheet of aluminium.

frida kahlo, untitled [self portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird] 1940. nickolas muray collection of mexican art. courtesy of tate

Frida Kahlo, Untitled [Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird] 1940. Nickolas Muray Collection of Mexican Art. Courtesy of Tate

Inside this edition, the novelist and writer Sara-Ella Ozbek follows Kahlo’s footsteps in Mexico, to understand the woman behind the myth, meeting the artist’s grand-niece, and exploring the rooms Kahlo once lived in. Starting in Coyoacán, the historic neighbourhood where she was born, and the location of her home – the famed La Casa Azul – Ozbek makes her way to Mexico City to see how her influence has reached beyond the world of art. ‘Behind the image was a woman in excruciating pain,’ Ozbek writes. ‘Certainly, her curated self was an act of authorship, but was it also an escape?’ In tracing her past, Ozbek unlocks the elements of Kahlo’s life that were key to embracing her culture, but that also augmented her escape.

The Frida Kahlo limited-edition cover is only available at the Tate Shop online and at the exhibition and Terrace shops at Tate Modern.

‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’, in partnership with Bank of America, is at Tate Modern from 25 June until 3 January 2027.