How do you advertise an artistic icon?

This was the challenge set by Tate Modern to Ace of Hearts ahead of the launch of the gallery’s

much-anticipated exhibition, Frida: The Making of an Icon. An exhibition which hopes to spark a summer-long celebration of Frida Kahlo across London.

Frida Kahlo is one of the few artists so iconic in history that she can be recognised from a fragment of her face alone. A glimpse of her thick, joined eyebrow or red lips is enough to identify her instantly.

More than seven decades after her death, Frida's image remains one of the most recognisable and iconic in global culture. 

This instant recognition is the central creative idea behind the exhibition teaser. Rather than introducing Frida, the series deliberately withholds elements, revealing only partial glimpses of artworks and portraits associated with her life and legacy. 

The creative combines works from across her story, bringing together art pieces created by Frida herself alongside interpretations and portraits by artists who contributed to the evolution of her cultural legacy.

At its centre is Frida Kahlo's 1940 painting ‘Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird’, accompanied by works from Hungarian-American photographer Nickolas Muray, who had a decade-long love affair with Frida, Japanese artist Yasumasa Morimura and acclaimed Chicano printmaker Richard Duardo.

To unify the works, Ace of Hearts developed a bespoke design system rooted in Frida's own visual world. Drawing inspiration from the stepped geometric patterns found in the Tehuana dresses she wore as an expression of her indigenous Mexican identity, as well as the greca motifs present throughout Mexican craft and architecture, the team created a modular grid that could seamlessly combine artworks into a single composition. The result enables Frida's image to be continually assembled and reassembled across formats, reinforcing the exhibition's central idea: that her influence extends far beyond her own work, shaped by generations of artists who continue to reinterpret her legacy.

The teaser campaign is running across out of home,  flyposters and paid social. The campaign will continue to unfold in phases across the summer, gradually revealing more of the imagery as the exhibition approaches its opening on 25 June. 

Chris Condron, Interim Director of Audiences and Innovation at Tate, explained: "This is a fantastic opening note for what we have humbly dubbed London’s Frida summer. Frida Kahlo is one of those rare cultural figures whose image has become instantly recognisable around the world, enduring long beyond her lifetime, and this exhibition explores exactly how she transitioned from respected artist to global cultural icon.”

He continued: “We wanted our teaser to create intrigue without giving the game away, while always feeling distinctly Tate, and the team at Ace of Hearts have given us a campaign that does just that - a terrific way to begin what promises to be a ‘can’t miss’ moment in the summer cultural calendar.”

Rasmus Smith Bech, Executive Creative Director at Ace of Hearts, added: “There’s something special about seeing the first teasers appear across the city and knowing it’s the start of something much bigger. Across the summer, we’ll be opening up Frida’s world through a range of work that unfolds across London, inviting people to experience her in different ways.”

He continued: “Frida is a global symbol who represents so much from creativity to resilience to individuality and self-expression. Very few others can claim to have that level of connection across generations and borders. It’s a real privilege to work with Tate Modern on a project of this scale on our doorstep at Ace of Hearts. We hope we can help launch the exhibition as a genuine cultural moment for the city and one of the defining events of London's summer.”

A visually led campaign which successfully underlines that when you're marketing a cultural icon, less is more.