FREE Art History Resources - Frida Kahlo and Pablo Picasso

A few art-related resources for you - as with all things, as a parent or educator, use your best judgment in deciding whether any materials are appropriate for your children or students.  When possible, I suggest previewing readings, art, and so on before using the material with children.  Disclaimer over, carry on...


When I logged in to Facebook today, I saw this in my newsfeed: The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo.  Since Kahlo is one of my favorite artists, I clicked on the link which took me to the PBS website, and all sorts of wonderful information and links related to Kahlo and her painting.  You will find education guides and activities on the documentary page.

One of many self-portraits done by Frida Kahlo

The documentary is available on Netflix, but only on disc.  You can watch it in bits and pieces on YouTube HERE - each chunk is about 10 to 11 minutes long.  Please note: not all parts are appropriate for all audiences.  PLEASE PREVIEW THIS BEFORE HAVING YOUR CHILDREN WATCH IT! The documentary covers numerous topics related to her art and life, including issues of sexuality, miscarriage, and shows nudity in her paintings.  Many of her paintings also include bloody depictions of her miscarriage, of her own body after a horrible accident, and more.  I love the art of Frida Kahlo, and given her history, her imagery makes sense.  I would have no problem sharing her work, biography, and the documentary with my nearly 13-year-old son as I feel he is mature enough to handle the material well.  Your child may be the same, or entirely different.  I would never want to dissuade anyone from learning about, and appreciating great art and artists, but at the same time, thought it would only be fair to be honest with you...



The Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY has a terrific group of art lesson plans HERE. Most have art lessons, writing suggestions, suggestions for discussion, and brief audio clips relating to the artists or art styles.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City has a wide variety of resources and ways to access art and art history.  Click HERE for links to lesson plans and more!

The Guggenheim, also in New York City, has some great online arts curriculum as well.  However, they do specify that their curriculum is best used in conjunction with on-site exhibits.  But, most of the curriculum can be used at home as well.  It just won't be the full experience that you would get if you visited the museum.  Click HERE.

Child with Dove by Pablo Picasso

For a bit of extra art fun, visit Picassohead! This website allows you to create a Picasso-ish self-portrait.  You can even upload your masterpiece to an online gallery! For a great, short (about 5 minutes) video about Picasso, samples of his art work, and more click HERE.  As stated, you may want to preview the video and website as there is discussion about Picasso's extramarital affairs. Also, please note that the examples of his art on this site are also posters for sale, thus there are prices on each example (sorry about that).

You can watch a documentary about Picasso HERE.  It is in 9 parts, each about 10 to 11 minutes long.  Like the Frida Kahlo documentary, it is in parts, and you should PREVIEW THIS BEFORE HAVING YOUR CHILDREN WATCH IT! The Picasso documentary does talk about his infidelity and more.

Guernica by Pablo Picasso

I would also like to encourage you to visit the websites for any local art museums and see if they have educational curriculum online.  If not, call and ask if they have educational materials that they could send to you either by mail or e-mail.  Most do...