On the run from Stalin, Leon Trotsky arrives in Mexico and Frida begins a short-lived affair with him. It is a bold move given that Trotsky is a hero and mentor for Diego.  André Breton, the influential leader of the Surrealist Movement, is also in Mexico and Frida prepares work to grab his attention. She succeeds and is invited to have a solo exhibition in New York, with Breton as her champion.  Frida then travels to Paris for another exhibition, but arrives to find Europe on the brink of war. The exhibition is not what was promised. Bitterly disappointed with Breton, Frida finds solace in a relationship with his beautiful wife, Jacqueline. But, after months away from home, Frida realizes it's Diego she really wants and returns to Mexico, only to discover that he wants a divorce. Once more, she pours her pain into her work and creates a masterpiece: The Two Fridas.  An attempt on Trotsky's life sees events take a dangerous turn. Diego is implicated and flees to San Francisco. Alone and unprotected, Frida is arrested. When he realizes that Frida's health is failing, Diego begs her to join him, and the pair reconcile and remarry. Finally, Frida believes she is free to live life in peace, in a union with Diego on her own terms.  Frida's health deteriorates and she spends her last years of life in excruciating pain, often confined to bed in a steel corset. Remarkably she continues to paint and produces incredible, heartbreaking works that speak to her trauma, pain and artistic power.  Frida Kahlo dies in 1954, aged 47. Her life and work leave an extraordinary legacy: a woman defying expectations, experiencing extremes of love and loss, and creating some of the most enduring art of the 20th century.

From the Curio channel: BBC Channel.