Why did Frida Kahlo reject the label of Surrealist?

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Frida Kahlo stands at an easel, holding a paintbrush and working on a portrait of a woman in a white dress, looking toward the camera. — Frida Kahlo Mexican artist Frida Kahlo painting a portrait of Jean Wight in 1931; the work depicts the wife of artist Clifford Wight, who assisted Diego Rivera, Kahlo's husband, when he was painting a number of murals throughout the United States.

Although Frida Kahlo is frequently associated with Surrealism due to the fantastical elements in her work and the advocacy of leading Surrealists like André Breton, she explicitly rejected the label.123

Kahlo distanced herself from the movement by clarifying the intent behind her imagery. She famously stated, "I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality." While her paintings often feature the visceral, grotesque, and imaginary qualities that influenced the Surrealists, her work was fundamentally rooted in her personal experiences, including her chronic physical pain, identity struggles, and tumultuous life events. By grounding her art in her own lived reality rather than the subconscious or dream-based explorations favored by the Surrealists, she maintained a distinct artistic identity.3