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The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris
This intimate account offers a new, unexpected understanding of the artist’s work and of the vibrant 1930s surrealist scene.
In 1938, just as she was leaving Mexico for her first solo exhibition in New York, Frida Kahlo was devastated to learn from her husband, Diego Rivera, that he intended to divorce her. This latest blow followed a long series of betrayals, most painful of all his affair with her beloved younger sister, Cristina, in 1934. In early 1939, anxious and adrift, Kahlo traveled from the United States to France—her only trip to Europe, and the beginning of a unique period of her life when she was enjoying success on her own.
Now, for the first time, this previously overlooked part of her story is brought to light in exquisite detail. Marc Petitjean takes the reader to Paris, where Kahlo spends her days alongside luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, André Breton, Dora Maar, and Marcel Duchamp.
Using Kahlo’s whirlwind romance with the author’s father, Michel Petitjean, as a jumping-off point, The Frida Kahlo in Paris provides a striking portrait of the artist and an inside look at the history of one of her most powerful, enigmatic paintings.
In 1938, just as she was leaving Mexico for her first solo exhibition in New York, Frida Kahlo was devastated to learn from her husband, Diego Rivera, that he intended to divorce her. This latest blow followed a long series of betrayals, most painful of all his affair with her beloved younger sister, Cristina, in 1934. In early 1939, anxious and adrift, Kahlo traveled from the United States to France—her only trip to Europe, and the beginning of a unique period of her life when she was enjoying success on her own.
Now, for the first time, this previously overlooked part of her story is brought to light in exquisite detail. Marc Petitjean takes the reader to Paris, where Kahlo spends her days alongside luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, André Breton, Dora Maar, and Marcel Duchamp.
Using Kahlo’s whirlwind romance with the author’s father, Michel Petitjean, as a jumping-off point, The Frida Kahlo in Paris provides a striking portrait of the artist and an inside look at the history of one of her most powerful, enigmatic paintings.
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2020
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About the author
Marc Petitjean
5 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Other authors publishing under this name are:
Marc Petitjean, Fishing
Other authors publishing under this name are:
Marc Petitjean, Fishing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
March 20, 2020
Many years ago I became fascinated with the artist, Frida Kahlo and since then have read many books about this unique artist. This one has an unusual focus, starting with the discovery by the author, that is father had a short lived affair with the artist. Her painting, The heart, had been hung on the wall of his home since he was a child. He knew that the painting had been given to his father by the artist, but not the circumstance ps behind the gift. After his father's death and a random phone call, he set out to learn more.
The book takes us back in time to the 1930s and Frida's arrival in Paris for the first exhibition of her work. It was also a time of personal sadness for her, and a chance to get away. The surrealist movement embraced her and the book is chock full of the notables of this movement, Picasso, his muse Dora Maar, Man Ray and many others. Also the story of how the authors father met and became involved with Frida.
A good look at the artist, but also the art movement and historical happenings at the time. A time of free love, parties, excess drinking, much like the sixrties but this was in the late thirties. The last chance for freedom in France before Hitlers advance.
This was also a pivotal time in Fridas life. She was recognized as an artist in her own right, not just referred to as Diego's wife. She had her own money and was no longer dependant on others. It was also the beginning of severe health problems, which would last the rest of her life.
The book takes us back in time to the 1930s and Frida's arrival in Paris for the first exhibition of her work. It was also a time of personal sadness for her, and a chance to get away. The surrealist movement embraced her and the book is chock full of the notables of this movement, Picasso, his muse Dora Maar, Man Ray and many others. Also the story of how the authors father met and became involved with Frida.
A good look at the artist, but also the art movement and historical happenings at the time. A time of free love, parties, excess drinking, much like the sixrties but this was in the late thirties. The last chance for freedom in France before Hitlers advance.
This was also a pivotal time in Fridas life. She was recognized as an artist in her own right, not just referred to as Diego's wife. She had her own money and was no longer dependant on others. It was also the beginning of severe health problems, which would last the rest of her life.
June 27, 2020
A failed experiment. Some good passages, more horrendous ones, though. Successfully turns Frida into a cardboard cutout, an effigy. A terrible choice to tell the story in the present tense: Marcel looks at Frida. She is on the sidewalk. They are walking, he is putting a flower behind her ear...she is braiding her hair, looking through Paris. Then, awkwardly, people familiar with the "love affair," start blabbing in the historical past tense! Caramba.
He only had his father's words which I think were locked up at Museo Frida Kahlo in Coyoacan until recently. Not one word from Frida save a couple scrawled upon photographs. Though Petitjean does recreate entire dialogues between père Petitjean and Frida. Hers of the clunky shocking profane. Which may be right! I hope. But she never wrote back (or at her letters remain hidden). Which makes dear old dad somewhat of a sad case. What a loser amirite.
Furthermore, there is much questionable history and analysis of Mexico and Mexicans which is disappointing, because Petitjean is good with Spanish Civil War and interwar Paris, for example. But too many unforced errors: the author locates Casa Azul in San Angel repeatedly, and uses the term "Native Mexicans" for I am not sure what: indigenous, mestizos...Mexicans? A rather typical old European's take on what they think about Mexico. That said, it is difficult to get at southern Mexico, Oaxaca, Tehuantepec, and to get that complicated, diverse, and ancient culture right. But over-relies on the generic and superficial interpretations.
Some rather pedestrian art analysis and description of the artist's work. Many walk on performances (Breton! Picasso! Dali! Calder! Kandinsky!) They're all boring af. That is no easy task to make the freaking Surrealist lot boring. Lol.
One star as it is a pretty cool family story to have. A book about the life of Marcel Petitijean would probably have been more exciting to read. Also some insight into gallery scene in Thirties Paris, especially Breton's poorly managed Mexique.
He only had his father's words which I think were locked up at Museo Frida Kahlo in Coyoacan until recently. Not one word from Frida save a couple scrawled upon photographs. Though Petitjean does recreate entire dialogues between père Petitjean and Frida. Hers of the clunky shocking profane. Which may be right! I hope. But she never wrote back (or at her letters remain hidden). Which makes dear old dad somewhat of a sad case. What a loser amirite.
Furthermore, there is much questionable history and analysis of Mexico and Mexicans which is disappointing, because Petitjean is good with Spanish Civil War and interwar Paris, for example. But too many unforced errors: the author locates Casa Azul in San Angel repeatedly, and uses the term "Native Mexicans" for I am not sure what: indigenous, mestizos...Mexicans? A rather typical old European's take on what they think about Mexico. That said, it is difficult to get at southern Mexico, Oaxaca, Tehuantepec, and to get that complicated, diverse, and ancient culture right. But over-relies on the generic and superficial interpretations.
Some rather pedestrian art analysis and description of the artist's work. Many walk on performances (Breton! Picasso! Dali! Calder! Kandinsky!) They're all boring af. That is no easy task to make the freaking Surrealist lot boring. Lol.
One star as it is a pretty cool family story to have. A book about the life of Marcel Petitijean would probably have been more exciting to read. Also some insight into gallery scene in Thirties Paris, especially Breton's poorly managed Mexique.
August 9, 2025
An interesting insight into one of my favourite artists. Definitely learnt a lot about Frida and her attitudes, but not sure if I would recommend to most people
January 15, 2022
Originally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
Marc Petitjean separates fact from family legend in his biography, The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris. He explores the veracity of the family stories about his father’s affair with Kahlo in 1939. She gave the elder Petitjean, Michel, a painting she titled The Heart as a parting gift. As a result, the author spent many hours during his childhood gazing at the small but complex work. This book is an effort to put everything into the context of the era and the lovers’ lives.
Petitjean (how I will refer to the author) covers plenty of ground here. He combines biography, art history, political environments, and personal documents. There’s little solid proof about the affair beyond some letters from Michel (how I will refer to the author’s father) to Frida. If she wrote him, the letters are gone now. Nevertheless, Petitjean builds a story.
More of the book is about Frida than about Michel. But Petitjean addresses the lovers’ early lives, as well as their hopes and dreams. As he discusses the events of Frida’s visit to Paris, Petitjean explains her life in Mexico. He connects the tragic streetcar accident she suffered from with the details of the titular painting. And as he describes her fashion sense in Paris, Petitjean underscores her connections to native Mexican culture and dress.
The world around them
There’s plenty about the political aspects of that time as well. Both protagonists are affected by the world war they just survived, and the looming specter of the impending second war. They care deeply about the Spanish Civil War and have that in common. Petitjean puts their relationship in the context of all of this.
Another aspect of the book is the burgeoning surrealist art movement. While Kahlo doesn’t see herself as a part of the movement, her French benefactors shoehorn her into it. Petitjean is involved with both the movement and the gallery where her art is exhibited. Again, they share another commonality.
Despite all the turmoil around them, Michel and Frida find time for themselves. A wealthy friend offers them a place to stay together, though they both have other residences. The lovers make the most of their short time together.
My conclusions
Petitjean weaves together a cohesive narrative, despite the tenuous nature of his source material. He creates a complicated background of world affairs. And then he places vibrant characters in the foreground. Kahlo is particularly colorful, given her painting and personal styles. She is certainly the heart of the story. Michel is the planet orbiting around her sun, although Petitjean colors him with both shadows and light.
This is a slow-burn book, hard to settle into but ultimately compelling. I liked the personal nature of the story, given the author’s connection to the subject. I’m a longtime fan of Kahlo’s but this is the first book I’ve read about her. It won’t be the last.
I recommend The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris if you are also a fan of her work or of the surrealist art movement. Petitjean pulls together disparate subject matter into a thought-provoking biographical history.
Pair with Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d’Art by Christopher Moore for a light-hearted, fictional portrayal of Paris-based artists in a complicated time.
Marc Petitjean separates fact from family legend in his biography, The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris. He explores the veracity of the family stories about his father’s affair with Kahlo in 1939. She gave the elder Petitjean, Michel, a painting she titled The Heart as a parting gift. As a result, the author spent many hours during his childhood gazing at the small but complex work. This book is an effort to put everything into the context of the era and the lovers’ lives.
Petitjean (how I will refer to the author) covers plenty of ground here. He combines biography, art history, political environments, and personal documents. There’s little solid proof about the affair beyond some letters from Michel (how I will refer to the author’s father) to Frida. If she wrote him, the letters are gone now. Nevertheless, Petitjean builds a story.
More of the book is about Frida than about Michel. But Petitjean addresses the lovers’ early lives, as well as their hopes and dreams. As he discusses the events of Frida’s visit to Paris, Petitjean explains her life in Mexico. He connects the tragic streetcar accident she suffered from with the details of the titular painting. And as he describes her fashion sense in Paris, Petitjean underscores her connections to native Mexican culture and dress.
The world around them
There’s plenty about the political aspects of that time as well. Both protagonists are affected by the world war they just survived, and the looming specter of the impending second war. They care deeply about the Spanish Civil War and have that in common. Petitjean puts their relationship in the context of all of this.
Another aspect of the book is the burgeoning surrealist art movement. While Kahlo doesn’t see herself as a part of the movement, her French benefactors shoehorn her into it. Petitjean is involved with both the movement and the gallery where her art is exhibited. Again, they share another commonality.
Despite all the turmoil around them, Michel and Frida find time for themselves. A wealthy friend offers them a place to stay together, though they both have other residences. The lovers make the most of their short time together.
My conclusions
Petitjean weaves together a cohesive narrative, despite the tenuous nature of his source material. He creates a complicated background of world affairs. And then he places vibrant characters in the foreground. Kahlo is particularly colorful, given her painting and personal styles. She is certainly the heart of the story. Michel is the planet orbiting around her sun, although Petitjean colors him with both shadows and light.
This is a slow-burn book, hard to settle into but ultimately compelling. I liked the personal nature of the story, given the author’s connection to the subject. I’m a longtime fan of Kahlo’s but this is the first book I’ve read about her. It won’t be the last.
I recommend The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris if you are also a fan of her work or of the surrealist art movement. Petitjean pulls together disparate subject matter into a thought-provoking biographical history.
Pair with Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d’Art by Christopher Moore for a light-hearted, fictional portrayal of Paris-based artists in a complicated time.
March 15, 2020
En lugar de un relato interesante de un pasaje de la vida de Frida, al final del libro uno se queda con la sensación de haber leído la fantasía ¿o delirio? del escritor sobre la relación entre Frida y Michel Petitjean, padre del autor.
January 7, 2022
[2.5] A good percentage of this book is listing names of various individuals that Frida Kahlo interacted with and descriptions of her paintings. It provides little insight into her or this relationship, but there were a couple chapters that I did enjoy reading.
August 13, 2022
2.5/5
this is my first book about frida khalo! i’ve always had such an interest in her and i want to have a frida book collection. i started with this one because i am in paris and it’s about her time in paris!!
i had some issues with the writing, it felt like a lot of it was more conjecture from the author than it was fact. in the beginning he admits he knows nothing about the relationship between his dad and frida yet he goes on to describe detailed intimate moments with them that might’ve never actually happened. he also misidentified the location of frida and diego’s home j mexico. i wouldn’t have noticed except i reed another goodreads review that pointed that out and i fact checked. a little disappointing because what other small details might he have gotten wrong?
i did enjoy hearing about the Mexico exhibition that showcased her art in paris and having the backdrop of the spanish civil war and the lead up to WWII. the historical details were great. the descriptions of frida herself were questionable at times, since there seemed to be a lot of conjecture from the author.
a fast read, probably won’t pick up again but a great intro into my frida knowledge
also he mentions “The Frame” the only painting from her exhibition that stayed in Paris (aside from “The Heart” given to the author’s father). France was the first national collection to acquire a Frida painting, and I saw it at the Pompidou where it’s currently in display!! too bad that frida thought it was the “most horrible piece of shit i ever painted”
this is my first book about frida khalo! i’ve always had such an interest in her and i want to have a frida book collection. i started with this one because i am in paris and it’s about her time in paris!!
i had some issues with the writing, it felt like a lot of it was more conjecture from the author than it was fact. in the beginning he admits he knows nothing about the relationship between his dad and frida yet he goes on to describe detailed intimate moments with them that might’ve never actually happened. he also misidentified the location of frida and diego’s home j mexico. i wouldn’t have noticed except i reed another goodreads review that pointed that out and i fact checked. a little disappointing because what other small details might he have gotten wrong?
i did enjoy hearing about the Mexico exhibition that showcased her art in paris and having the backdrop of the spanish civil war and the lead up to WWII. the historical details were great. the descriptions of frida herself were questionable at times, since there seemed to be a lot of conjecture from the author.
a fast read, probably won’t pick up again but a great intro into my frida knowledge
also he mentions “The Frame” the only painting from her exhibition that stayed in Paris (aside from “The Heart” given to the author’s father). France was the first national collection to acquire a Frida painting, and I saw it at the Pompidou where it’s currently in display!! too bad that frida thought it was the “most horrible piece of shit i ever painted”
February 10, 2020
Mexican Artist Frida Kahlo travels to Paris in 1939 for her first and only trip to Europe. Overshadowed by her famous husband, Diego Rivera, and devastated due to his affair with her sister, she undertakes the trip to mount an exhibit of her own work, on her own terms. Her time in France is a whirlwind of famous people who find her larger-than-life personality intoxicating. She also enters into a brief, passionate affair with Michel Petitjean, a young gallery representative. Author Marc, Michel's son, hopes to learn more about his father as he researches Kahlo's visit and uncovers letters and documents that breath life into their relationship. Numerous photographs add to the narrative, including "The Heart", an extraordinary painting she gave to Michel as she left Paris, and him, for good. This slim book, humanizing Kahlo underneath her mythical status, is a little jewel.
November 10, 2020
The author grew up with Kahlo's unknown painting, The Heart (also known as Memory, The Heart), in his family's Paris home. When contacted by a writer from Mexico, Petitjean learns his father and Kahlo were lovers in 1939 when she visited Paris for an exhibition. What begins as an examination of a brief affair reveals more about the artistic scene in Paris and a world being upended by Franco, Stalin and Hitler. There are a few places Petitjean "reimagines" conversations and learns more about his father. The real value for me was the insight into Kahlo's life and art.
September 18, 2022
"Sur ce lit ils font l'amour, boivent, mangent, dorment, fument, passent de longues heures à discuter et à écouter de la musique. Ils ne se quittent plus et sortent le moins possible, si bien qu'ils partagent une intimité à la fois profonde et légère. Ils savent qu'ils peuvent tout se dire, que cela n'aura pas de conséquence."
November 2, 2023
Frida pelos olhos terceirizados do filho de um amante....
Não acrescenta nadica
Não acrescenta nadica
July 23, 2020
I have found reading biographies translated from French often requires being aware of cultural differences in the way the content is written. Often, they have a dreamy quality to them, without the dense bibliography one may be accustomed to with English language biographies. The passages seem to be broken down into almost poetic snippets, almost as if written as literature instead of nonfiction, blending memoir with biography.
For me, all of this worked in this brief but highly enjoyable window into Frida's time spent in Paris, just before World War II; and her simple love affair with the author's enigmatic father. 3.5
For me, all of this worked in this brief but highly enjoyable window into Frida's time spent in Paris, just before World War II; and her simple love affair with the author's enigmatic father. 3.5
December 7, 2021
DNF. This is mediocre at best. It’s not so much about Frida, but about the author’s very uninteresting father. A lot of pretend dialogue. It feels like reading the English homework of a highly unprepared teenager who only heard something, somewhere, about the topic he’s writing about. He managed to make Frida boring. And how many times will he mention her “traditional Mexican clothes”?
December 7, 2020
Robotic recounting of the author’s father’s affair. Very insight about his father is gleaned
September 21, 2020
Just when I thought I had read everything about Frida Kahlo over the past twenty years, I found this little precious gem. I won't bother with a Frida tale unless the author has a strong background in art history or literature; so much fluff is written about this fascinating woman because she was an icon, and she continues to draw a crowd. However, you can't imagine the glee I experienced when I discovered the author is the son of one of Frida's lovers!
Everything about this book is a gift --- its packaging (lovely flower embossed jacket); its travel size; the quality of paper; even the font. Simply holding it is special. As an empathetic, artistic human being, I immediately connected to Marc Petitjean's sensitivities for his subject, Frida Kahlo. Through his father's lost letters about his time with Frida in Paris in 1939, I could feel Marc's appreciation for a side of the father, Michel Petitjean, he never knew. The way he described what he imagined of their knowing, of their very short time as lovers, I sensed a strong wistfulness in his writing- how time steals so much - a wistfulness I feel every day. Marc has a simple style of writing, like a cool breeze on a hot day. I so appreciate one who can evoke the slightest feeling in the least amount of words.
Marc artfully paints a broad picture of Frida's fascinating life to give the reader a background to her time in Paris. The surrealist, Andre Breton, commissioned Frida's work to be shown in the Colle gallery just before the outbreak of WWII. Frida had just found out her husband, Diego Rivera, had had an affair with her sister, Cristina; therefore, she desperately needed to strike out on her own and prove her worth as a painter. This is the first account of her time in Paris where any mention of an affair has surfaced. All the other notable biographies only cover how sick Frida was with an infected kidney, and how much she hated the French surrealists, during this period in her life. The reader soon learns the bittersweet and touching affair that both Michel and Frida wanted to preserve away from the glare of fame; and, to protect their perspective partners.
The only criticism I have of this sweet story is that Marc may have mixed up his facts a bit. When he describes Diego and Frida's double dwelling San Angel home in the outskirts of Mexico City, he describes the animals and gardens of Frida's Caza Azul in Coyoacan, not far from San Angel. I have been to both properties. The magical gardens are only on the premises of Frida's childhood home, La Caza Azul. The San Angel twin homes are built on a corner with little or no yards to speak of. This bit of information wouldn't even be noticed if one weren't in the know, but nevertheless, important to those who are.
If you love Frida's art, her story, her loves, her life, then this is a book which can only add spice to your collection. It is by no means a complete biography, but it might just wet your whistle to continue learning about the fabulous woman Frida was, and the groundbreaking art she gave to the world. One last burning question I have: Why didn't you keep "The Heart" painting, Marc?
Everything about this book is a gift --- its packaging (lovely flower embossed jacket); its travel size; the quality of paper; even the font. Simply holding it is special. As an empathetic, artistic human being, I immediately connected to Marc Petitjean's sensitivities for his subject, Frida Kahlo. Through his father's lost letters about his time with Frida in Paris in 1939, I could feel Marc's appreciation for a side of the father, Michel Petitjean, he never knew. The way he described what he imagined of their knowing, of their very short time as lovers, I sensed a strong wistfulness in his writing- how time steals so much - a wistfulness I feel every day. Marc has a simple style of writing, like a cool breeze on a hot day. I so appreciate one who can evoke the slightest feeling in the least amount of words.
Marc artfully paints a broad picture of Frida's fascinating life to give the reader a background to her time in Paris. The surrealist, Andre Breton, commissioned Frida's work to be shown in the Colle gallery just before the outbreak of WWII. Frida had just found out her husband, Diego Rivera, had had an affair with her sister, Cristina; therefore, she desperately needed to strike out on her own and prove her worth as a painter. This is the first account of her time in Paris where any mention of an affair has surfaced. All the other notable biographies only cover how sick Frida was with an infected kidney, and how much she hated the French surrealists, during this period in her life. The reader soon learns the bittersweet and touching affair that both Michel and Frida wanted to preserve away from the glare of fame; and, to protect their perspective partners.
The only criticism I have of this sweet story is that Marc may have mixed up his facts a bit. When he describes Diego and Frida's double dwelling San Angel home in the outskirts of Mexico City, he describes the animals and gardens of Frida's Caza Azul in Coyoacan, not far from San Angel. I have been to both properties. The magical gardens are only on the premises of Frida's childhood home, La Caza Azul. The San Angel twin homes are built on a corner with little or no yards to speak of. This bit of information wouldn't even be noticed if one weren't in the know, but nevertheless, important to those who are.
If you love Frida's art, her story, her loves, her life, then this is a book which can only add spice to your collection. It is by no means a complete biography, but it might just wet your whistle to continue learning about the fabulous woman Frida was, and the groundbreaking art she gave to the world. One last burning question I have: Why didn't you keep "The Heart" painting, Marc?
November 23, 2022
Uma premissa muito boa pra um livro muito especulativo. Tudo bem, entendi que o autor queria muito ter esse momento de descoberta e exploração da própria ascendência com a história de amor que seu pai teve com a Frida, mas em certo ponto chegou a ser até um pouco difícil de engolir pq ele especulava sentimentos, falas, trejeitos que simplesmente só quem de fato Estava lá - na época, ao redor dos artistas mencionados - poderia saber. Então pra mim pegou um pouco isso, de estabelecer como fato um arquétipo daquilo que o autor presumiu de certos acontecimentos que ele jamais poderia saber ao certo como decorreram. Mas, novamente, entendo o pq disso por conta da premissa do livro. O que salva (pra mim) é a apresentação de imagens de obras, fotos analógicas, telegramas, desenhos etc que tanto colaboraram para a visualização da história como um todo. As duas últimas páginas literalmente fizeram valer a pena a leitura, são os únicos momentos em que eu consegui sentir a ligação entre pai, filho e a obra explorado - O Coração.
Off nunca vou entender pq q eu sempre faço review imensa e imediata de livros que não gostei muito mas os q eu amo eu enrolo e nunca mais escrevo😍👏
Off nunca vou entender pq q eu sempre faço review imensa e imediata de livros que não gostei muito mas os q eu amo eu enrolo e nunca mais escrevo😍👏
February 19, 2022
I was excited to read about Frida's time in Paris. I have a fascination for her, and for Paris in the 20's and the artistic movement that centered there at that time. The book didn't fulfill my hopes, though. There were many little pictures of her activities, but I don't think it came together as a story about Frida but more about the author's desire to know more about his father. It wasn't bad, at all. Just not what I was hoping for.
March 11, 2024
A beautiful account of Frida’s time in Paris where she befriended the Surrealists, the Trotskyites, and other revolutionaries in the years leading up to WWII. The book centers on her affair with the writer’s father, Michel Petijean, and is a nostalgic retelling of a love that was never meant to be.
As a big Frida fan and a surrealism nerd, I loved this fresh take on a chapter of the artist’s life that is mostly glossed over. It is written in narrative style, as opposed to art historical criticism or biography, and therefore is easy to read while remaining heartfelt and captivating.
Favorite quote: “Try as she might to explain that she simply paints her own reality and has no theories about art other than it’s sincerity and it’s necessity, her reasoning falls on deaf ears, because, despite their apparent openness, the members of the group are incapable of grasping that she is different from them and their ideas.”
As a big Frida fan and a surrealism nerd, I loved this fresh take on a chapter of the artist’s life that is mostly glossed over. It is written in narrative style, as opposed to art historical criticism or biography, and therefore is easy to read while remaining heartfelt and captivating.
Favorite quote: “Try as she might to explain that she simply paints her own reality and has no theories about art other than it’s sincerity and it’s necessity, her reasoning falls on deaf ears, because, despite their apparent openness, the members of the group are incapable of grasping that she is different from them and their ideas.”
November 15, 2025
A different side of Frida and the people around her
May 7, 2023
É sempre bom ler a bibliografia de uma pessoa sobre a ótica de um indivíduo que não seja especialista no assunto, mas se tratando de O Coração, creio que o enredo fugiu da proposta central do livro. A leitura é fluida e rápida, apesar do autor sempre citar muitos nomes da época, que acredito que só fará sentindo pra um artista de fato, ou francês, o que torna vários momentos morosos, que me fizeram perder o fio da meada. Por poucos registros físicos do romance vivido entre Frida e Michel, não achei uma história estupenda.
March 21, 2022
The first book in a long time that made me really desperate to keep reading
September 21, 2022
Interesting book. Kahlo gifted Petitjean's father with The Heart when he was a young man in Paris. Petitjean tries to reconstruct the history between Kahlo and his father. Their affair is documented a bit, but most of the book is conjecture.
Of course, Frida's life is well documented in Paris, living with Breton, associating with Man Ray, Dali and others from the Surrealist movement.
Supposedly, Schiaparelli was so taken with Frida that she designed a dress for her or inspired by her. (No record exists of this design.)
As a Frida-phile, I exist for books like this but Petitjean's telling is a bit off for me. Perhaps he would have been better off writing a fictional version of his father's affair with this artist.
Of course, Frida's life is well documented in Paris, living with Breton, associating with Man Ray, Dali and others from the Surrealist movement.
Supposedly, Schiaparelli was so taken with Frida that she designed a dress for her or inspired by her. (No record exists of this design.)
As a Frida-phile, I exist for books like this but Petitjean's telling is a bit off for me. Perhaps he would have been better off writing a fictional version of his father's affair with this artist.
February 15, 2023
The timeline in this book covers just a few months in early 1939 when Frida was in Paris for her first solo exhibition. She was traveling alone, but meeting Picasso, Breton, Duchamp and other art rebels.
The author’s father worked at the gallery and squired her around town. They had a fling during three weeks and she gave him a painting as she was leaving to go back to Mexico. That painting, “The Heart,” was unknown to art historians until the 1960s because it had hung in their family home.
I knew nothing of this time period or about her exhibition. This book made Frida more real to me—his research on their correspondence and other documentation vividly reveals her sense of humor, her bravery, and her dedication to her work.
The author’s father worked at the gallery and squired her around town. They had a fling during three weeks and she gave him a painting as she was leaving to go back to Mexico. That painting, “The Heart,” was unknown to art historians until the 1960s because it had hung in their family home.
I knew nothing of this time period or about her exhibition. This book made Frida more real to me—his research on their correspondence and other documentation vividly reveals her sense of humor, her bravery, and her dedication to her work.
June 29, 2020
This was not actually book about Frida Kahlo. It surprises me that it was published and that there’s not a trademark lawsuit in the works, unless there is. This would’ve been much more interesting if the author focused on his father as the main character. Of course people probably wouldn’t buy a story about an “ordinary” man who may have had an affair with Kahlo.
I’m hoping something got lost in translation. The tenses were horrible and inconsistent enough to be frustrating. Using present tense made it so awkward. At times it read with the same level of depth as Babar, the children’s book. Past tense would have instantly given it more authority.
As far as his treatment of her, it was borderline offensive to me. The only theme I thought was interesting was how being in pre-war Europe magnified her desire to shape her identity as Mexican and not German. The rest of the book was boring which surrealist-era Paris so should not have been!
I’m hoping something got lost in translation. The tenses were horrible and inconsistent enough to be frustrating. Using present tense made it so awkward. At times it read with the same level of depth as Babar, the children’s book. Past tense would have instantly given it more authority.
As far as his treatment of her, it was borderline offensive to me. The only theme I thought was interesting was how being in pre-war Europe magnified her desire to shape her identity as Mexican and not German. The rest of the book was boring which surrealist-era Paris so should not have been!
April 10, 2021
These are just some notes taken from the book for my own sake. I will edit it when I have time.
Marc Petitjean was contacted by a Mexican writer who told him that his father had an affair with Frida when she was in Paris in 1939 and wanted to know more about the heart painting that Frida gave to his father. He remembers a painting by Frida that hung in their house when he was growing up. I have read numerous books on Frida but did not know she spent some time in Paris. This book is very easy to read as the author delves into what the short time Frida was in Paris must have been like. Frida was invited by Breton to come to Paris to have an exhibition of her work. When the Bretons' were in Mexico they stayed at Frida and Diego's house and were treated nicely as guests. Unfortunately, Frida was not given the same consideration at the Bretons' place and later moved to a hotel for the rest of her stay. Frida had many affairs with men and women but seemed to have kept this affair with the author's father a secret and did not discuss it with her friends.
The book does not just discuss Frida's exhibition in Paris but what was happen politically at that time. There is discussion of his father's involvement in political movements against fascism and talk of what was going on at that time in Spain with the Spanish revolution. During the private viewing of Kahlo's exhibition, Ramon Mercader (a militant Spanish communist who infiltrated Trotskyite circles in Paris) tries to get close to Frida in order to eventually get to Trotsky but to no avail since Frida told him that she was on bad terms with Trotsky. Ramon eventually gains access to Trotsky through the sister of Trotsky's secretary and is able to asassinate him.
The book also gives some background on Frida. she asserts her "Mexicanness by modifying her first name to Frida from Frieda and changing the year of her birth to 1910, the beginning of the Mexican revolution.
I love some of the quotes by Frida. Especially when writing about the French intellectuals, "You have no idea the kind of bitches these people are...... I would rather sit on the floor in the market of Toluca and sell tortillas...."
Another interesting quote is a question the author's father asks a wounded soldier form WW1 when he was a boy. He asks the soldier why he was in the war and the soldier replied that he didn't know but just followed everyone else.
What is mindboggling is that with General Franco's accession to power after the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, France and Great Britain recognized the fascist regime.
The author's father had an interesting life and during WW2 secretly made false identity papers for escaping prisoners. He was denounced to the Gestapo and sent to a labour camp in Germany. When he returned he was not the same person he was before.
Marc Petitjean was contacted by a Mexican writer who told him that his father had an affair with Frida when she was in Paris in 1939 and wanted to know more about the heart painting that Frida gave to his father. He remembers a painting by Frida that hung in their house when he was growing up. I have read numerous books on Frida but did not know she spent some time in Paris. This book is very easy to read as the author delves into what the short time Frida was in Paris must have been like. Frida was invited by Breton to come to Paris to have an exhibition of her work. When the Bretons' were in Mexico they stayed at Frida and Diego's house and were treated nicely as guests. Unfortunately, Frida was not given the same consideration at the Bretons' place and later moved to a hotel for the rest of her stay. Frida had many affairs with men and women but seemed to have kept this affair with the author's father a secret and did not discuss it with her friends.
The book does not just discuss Frida's exhibition in Paris but what was happen politically at that time. There is discussion of his father's involvement in political movements against fascism and talk of what was going on at that time in Spain with the Spanish revolution. During the private viewing of Kahlo's exhibition, Ramon Mercader (a militant Spanish communist who infiltrated Trotskyite circles in Paris) tries to get close to Frida in order to eventually get to Trotsky but to no avail since Frida told him that she was on bad terms with Trotsky. Ramon eventually gains access to Trotsky through the sister of Trotsky's secretary and is able to asassinate him.
The book also gives some background on Frida. she asserts her "Mexicanness by modifying her first name to Frida from Frieda and changing the year of her birth to 1910, the beginning of the Mexican revolution.
I love some of the quotes by Frida. Especially when writing about the French intellectuals, "You have no idea the kind of bitches these people are...... I would rather sit on the floor in the market of Toluca and sell tortillas...."
Another interesting quote is a question the author's father asks a wounded soldier form WW1 when he was a boy. He asks the soldier why he was in the war and the soldier replied that he didn't know but just followed everyone else.
What is mindboggling is that with General Franco's accession to power after the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, France and Great Britain recognized the fascist regime.
The author's father had an interesting life and during WW2 secretly made false identity papers for escaping prisoners. He was denounced to the Gestapo and sent to a labour camp in Germany. When he returned he was not the same person he was before.
January 2, 2020
I appreciated "The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris" for the glimpse into the life of Frida Kahlo, but found the story jumped around a bit much for my liking. The story was interesting at points, but the thread kept getting lost. Perhaps the translation was where things unravelled for me, but I had hoped for a little more in this biography.
June 21, 2025
for those (like me) that are in love with Frida, read this book. the writer shows a different side of Frida, away from Diego and immersed into the french culture. the story shared by the author’s father and Frida is one of a kind and beautiful to read.
May 7, 2024
Jacqueline describes an animated private viewing, but with an isolated Frida, alone in a corner. "She was not the sort of artist who was anxious to exhibit or discuss her paintings. She was very detached from her work." When Frida came to the private viewing, it was to say: Look at who I am; I am in pain and I want to live, and I paint my pain. I make it visible.
The year 1939 was a difficult one for Frida Kahlo. Her unfaithful husband, Diego Rivera, publicly announced that he planned to divorce her, while at the same time having an affair with her younger sister, Cristina. Frida had, until the previous year, been little more than Diego’s wife, but an exhibition at the Julien Levy in NYC brought her attention outside of Mexico. Diego encouraged her to display her art in Paris, to gain her greater exposure in the modern art capital of the world but also so he could more freely continue his relationship with Cristina. That year André Breton, the father of surrealism, and his wife Jacqueline Lamba spent several months with Frida and Diego in their famed Casa Azul, and since Breton considered Frida as the embodiment of surrealism itself he invited Frida to stay with them while he made preparations to have her work displayed there. (Of note, Frida rejected the surrealist label, and found Breton and most of the surrealists to be pompous asses.)
Fascism was progressively taking over western Europe in early 1939, as the Republicans were about to lose power to the Francisco Franco and the Nationalists, aided by fascist regimes in Germany, Italy and Portugal, Czechoslovakia and Poland would soon fall to Hitler, and the Nazis were in the process of invading France, which was deeply upsetting to Frida and those closest to her.
Frida was also in her constant pain, due mainly to the bus-trolley accident in 1926 that nearly claimed her life and horribly pierced her body. She did consult multiple specialists in New York and Paris and underwent multiple operations, without much improvement.
Marc Petitjean, the author of this book, and the son of Michel Petitjean, one of Frida’s lovers, and this relationship provides an often interesting but somewhat uneven account of an important period in Frida Kahlo’s life. Frida’s painting The Heart was a gift to Michel, and one that was constantly on view in the Petitjean home throughout Marc’s life. In it, Frida portrays a dress from her youth, an image of her with a rod piercing her heart, presumably the one from the trolley that impaled her, but that rod went through her pelvis, and a traditional dress that helped to hide the misshaped legs that resulted from an episode of paralytic polio she suffered at the age of six.
Marc, Michel’s father, was approached by a researcher in Mexico who wanted to review whatever letters and other communication that Michel had about his father, and since Marc was interested in Michel, and his relationship to Frida, he readily agreed. This book is a compilation of what information he obtained from different sources in Paris and France, along with information that Oscar shared with him. Michel’s life is far more banal than Frida’s, and Marc puts his father on a lofty pedestal, especially in comparison to Breton and the other surrealists, and there seem to be occasional embellishments and likely inaccuracies, particularly when he portrays the lovers engaged in an intimate conversation, when the author states earlier in the book that his father spoke little useful English and Frida spoke hardly any French.
I would recommend [bool: The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris] to anyone who wishes to learn more about this great artist’s life in detail, but I would take it with a large pinch of salt, and look for other sources about the time she spent in Paris that year to the casual reader.
The year 1939 was a difficult one for Frida Kahlo. Her unfaithful husband, Diego Rivera, publicly announced that he planned to divorce her, while at the same time having an affair with her younger sister, Cristina. Frida had, until the previous year, been little more than Diego’s wife, but an exhibition at the Julien Levy in NYC brought her attention outside of Mexico. Diego encouraged her to display her art in Paris, to gain her greater exposure in the modern art capital of the world but also so he could more freely continue his relationship with Cristina. That year André Breton, the father of surrealism, and his wife Jacqueline Lamba spent several months with Frida and Diego in their famed Casa Azul, and since Breton considered Frida as the embodiment of surrealism itself he invited Frida to stay with them while he made preparations to have her work displayed there. (Of note, Frida rejected the surrealist label, and found Breton and most of the surrealists to be pompous asses.)
Fascism was progressively taking over western Europe in early 1939, as the Republicans were about to lose power to the Francisco Franco and the Nationalists, aided by fascist regimes in Germany, Italy and Portugal, Czechoslovakia and Poland would soon fall to Hitler, and the Nazis were in the process of invading France, which was deeply upsetting to Frida and those closest to her.
Frida was also in her constant pain, due mainly to the bus-trolley accident in 1926 that nearly claimed her life and horribly pierced her body. She did consult multiple specialists in New York and Paris and underwent multiple operations, without much improvement.
Marc Petitjean, the author of this book, and the son of Michel Petitjean, one of Frida’s lovers, and this relationship provides an often interesting but somewhat uneven account of an important period in Frida Kahlo’s life. Frida’s painting The Heart was a gift to Michel, and one that was constantly on view in the Petitjean home throughout Marc’s life. In it, Frida portrays a dress from her youth, an image of her with a rod piercing her heart, presumably the one from the trolley that impaled her, but that rod went through her pelvis, and a traditional dress that helped to hide the misshaped legs that resulted from an episode of paralytic polio she suffered at the age of six.
Marc, Michel’s father, was approached by a researcher in Mexico who wanted to review whatever letters and other communication that Michel had about his father, and since Marc was interested in Michel, and his relationship to Frida, he readily agreed. This book is a compilation of what information he obtained from different sources in Paris and France, along with information that Oscar shared with him. Michel’s life is far more banal than Frida’s, and Marc puts his father on a lofty pedestal, especially in comparison to Breton and the other surrealists, and there seem to be occasional embellishments and likely inaccuracies, particularly when he portrays the lovers engaged in an intimate conversation, when the author states earlier in the book that his father spoke little useful English and Frida spoke hardly any French.
I would recommend [bool: The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris] to anyone who wishes to learn more about this great artist’s life in detail, but I would take it with a large pinch of salt, and look for other sources about the time she spent in Paris that year to the casual reader.
November 29, 2024
The year is 1939, the world is on the verge of war, and in Paris, Frida Kahlo—iconic artist and cultural trailblazer—finds herself navigating the surrealist art scene while grappling with her personal and political convictions. In his intimate memoir The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris, writer, filmmaker, and photographer Marc Petitjean unravels a hidden thread of his family history, pieced together from a box of letters and papers discovered after his father's death: the story of Michel Petitjean's three-week romance with Frida during her Parisian sojourn.
Through his father's written accounts and personal papers, Petitjean pieces together this momentous intersection of lives. These documents reveal his father's memories and brief but intense connection with Kahlo. The narrative centers on her painting The Heart, gifted to Michel by Kahlo herself—a work that becomes physical evidence of their relationship and a symbolic key to understanding their shared moment in history. The author's quest for understanding takes him beyond family archives to consultations with art historians like Nancy Deffebach and Salomon Grimberg, each adding new dimensions to this previously untold story.
As Petitjean follows the paper trail of his father's memories, he reconstructs the vibrant world of pre-war Paris and the surrealist movement's key figures, particularly André Breton. Through his research, he discovers Kahlo's fierce independence, documented in her rejection of Breton's attempts to claim her for the surrealist movement. His father's writings reveal Kahlo's criticism of the Parisian surrealists' intellectual detachment from real-world issues, particularly the Spanish Civil War, offering intimate insights into her political consciousness.
The author's investigation uncovers multiple interweaving narratives: his father's work coordinating Kahlo's exhibition at the Renou et Colle gallery, her challenging stay with the Bretons, her time at the American Hospital in Neuilly, and Michel's work at the Museum of Ethnography. Through personal accounts and archival materials, Petitjean discovers how Kahlo's deliberate choice to wear traditional Mexican clothing in Paris became a statement of cultural identity while also understanding his father's deep appreciation for Mexican culture and their shared anti-fascist convictions.
The memoir's most poignant moments come from Michel's written remembrances, where his words bring to life intimate details of his time with Kahlo. These documents allow the author to know his father anew while also glimpsing Kahlo's vulnerability and humor, her physical struggles, and her complex relationship with Diego Rivera. Each revelation adds depth to the historical record and Petitjean's understanding of his family's past.
While the book's focus on Michel's perspective offers a fresh angle, it also leaves some gaps in understanding Frida's thoughts and motivations during this period. The absence of her voice in direct correspondence with Michel occasionally tilts the narrative's balance. Nonetheless, Petitjean's approach and acknowledgment of these gaps tend to authenticate his account.
The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris is a personal journey of discovery and a contribution to our understanding of a pivotal moment in art history. For readers interested in Kahlo, the surrealist movement, or the cultural vibrancy of 1930s Paris, this memoir offers a unique window into a time when personal and political histories intersected against the backdrop of impending war. Through Petitjean's quest to understand his father's past, we gain historical insights and a human story of art, love, and memory.
Through his father's written accounts and personal papers, Petitjean pieces together this momentous intersection of lives. These documents reveal his father's memories and brief but intense connection with Kahlo. The narrative centers on her painting The Heart, gifted to Michel by Kahlo herself—a work that becomes physical evidence of their relationship and a symbolic key to understanding their shared moment in history. The author's quest for understanding takes him beyond family archives to consultations with art historians like Nancy Deffebach and Salomon Grimberg, each adding new dimensions to this previously untold story.
As Petitjean follows the paper trail of his father's memories, he reconstructs the vibrant world of pre-war Paris and the surrealist movement's key figures, particularly André Breton. Through his research, he discovers Kahlo's fierce independence, documented in her rejection of Breton's attempts to claim her for the surrealist movement. His father's writings reveal Kahlo's criticism of the Parisian surrealists' intellectual detachment from real-world issues, particularly the Spanish Civil War, offering intimate insights into her political consciousness.
The author's investigation uncovers multiple interweaving narratives: his father's work coordinating Kahlo's exhibition at the Renou et Colle gallery, her challenging stay with the Bretons, her time at the American Hospital in Neuilly, and Michel's work at the Museum of Ethnography. Through personal accounts and archival materials, Petitjean discovers how Kahlo's deliberate choice to wear traditional Mexican clothing in Paris became a statement of cultural identity while also understanding his father's deep appreciation for Mexican culture and their shared anti-fascist convictions.
The memoir's most poignant moments come from Michel's written remembrances, where his words bring to life intimate details of his time with Kahlo. These documents allow the author to know his father anew while also glimpsing Kahlo's vulnerability and humor, her physical struggles, and her complex relationship with Diego Rivera. Each revelation adds depth to the historical record and Petitjean's understanding of his family's past.
While the book's focus on Michel's perspective offers a fresh angle, it also leaves some gaps in understanding Frida's thoughts and motivations during this period. The absence of her voice in direct correspondence with Michel occasionally tilts the narrative's balance. Nonetheless, Petitjean's approach and acknowledgment of these gaps tend to authenticate his account.
The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris is a personal journey of discovery and a contribution to our understanding of a pivotal moment in art history. For readers interested in Kahlo, the surrealist movement, or the cultural vibrancy of 1930s Paris, this memoir offers a unique window into a time when personal and political histories intersected against the backdrop of impending war. Through Petitjean's quest to understand his father's past, we gain historical insights and a human story of art, love, and memory.
January 11, 2023
I bought this book on a whim, after seeing the 'Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera' art exhibition in Auckland, New Zealand, a few days ago.
I wanted to read something about her life, and this was the most interesting book I could find in the independent bookshop we visited afterwards.
It's a quick and interesting read. Based on the apparent, short-lived affair/fling that the author's father had with Frida Kahlo, in Paris in 1939, just before WW2 started.
Its focus is mainly on the affair, albeit secondhand, but he also writes about one of Frida's paintings, 'The Heart' that she gifted to his father when the affair ended; Frida's troubled life and loves; her health; her artistic influences; her German and Mexican family background; the Mexican political situation and history; the situation in Europe in the 1930's, including the Spanish situation; Surrealism; and mentions many famous artists, including many from France. (Its quite the name-drop.)
ETC ETC ETC
The books covers many different topics, and I would suggest that's because you couldn't fill a whole book with the story of the father's short liaison with Frida. It does give an interesting context though.
At first I was not even sure if they did actually have the affair that he writes about, as it's a very one sided recollection of the affair, and even then its scarce in its proof. At the very end of the book, he includes a few brief excerpts from Frida's diaries, as proof though.
Frida had so many different affairs, while remaining 'connected' to Diego, and this was just one of them.
I wonder if the affair filled her time in Paris enjoyably, during a visit to show a collection of her art works at an exhibition? I'm sure it was lovely while it lasted, but neither seemed to be too committed to it.
Frida was still obsessed with Diego, and had just ended a relationship with the photographer Nicholas Muray. She also seemed to have some relationships with other woman while in Paris.
The author's father was the lover of a very rich and influential French woman, and he didn't seem too keen to break that probably very useful connection.
TBH, the book left me feeling a bit 'ICK'.
It's such a personal, intimate subject, but written by the son.
He didn't seem to know his father very well and I felt the same after reading this book.
It was a well written and easy read, but a bit one-sided. I will be searching out more rounded biographies about Frida Kahlo I think.
I wanted to read something about her life, and this was the most interesting book I could find in the independent bookshop we visited afterwards.
It's a quick and interesting read. Based on the apparent, short-lived affair/fling that the author's father had with Frida Kahlo, in Paris in 1939, just before WW2 started.
Its focus is mainly on the affair, albeit secondhand, but he also writes about one of Frida's paintings, 'The Heart' that she gifted to his father when the affair ended; Frida's troubled life and loves; her health; her artistic influences; her German and Mexican family background; the Mexican political situation and history; the situation in Europe in the 1930's, including the Spanish situation; Surrealism; and mentions many famous artists, including many from France. (Its quite the name-drop.)
ETC ETC ETC
The books covers many different topics, and I would suggest that's because you couldn't fill a whole book with the story of the father's short liaison with Frida. It does give an interesting context though.
At first I was not even sure if they did actually have the affair that he writes about, as it's a very one sided recollection of the affair, and even then its scarce in its proof. At the very end of the book, he includes a few brief excerpts from Frida's diaries, as proof though.
Frida had so many different affairs, while remaining 'connected' to Diego, and this was just one of them.
I wonder if the affair filled her time in Paris enjoyably, during a visit to show a collection of her art works at an exhibition? I'm sure it was lovely while it lasted, but neither seemed to be too committed to it.
Frida was still obsessed with Diego, and had just ended a relationship with the photographer Nicholas Muray. She also seemed to have some relationships with other woman while in Paris.
The author's father was the lover of a very rich and influential French woman, and he didn't seem too keen to break that probably very useful connection.
TBH, the book left me feeling a bit 'ICK'.
It's such a personal, intimate subject, but written by the son.
He didn't seem to know his father very well and I felt the same after reading this book.
It was a well written and easy read, but a bit one-sided. I will be searching out more rounded biographies about Frida Kahlo I think.
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