At the time Rivera was 42 years old, a successful mural artist who already had two common law wives.
He was a self-confessed womaniser from the outset of their relationship. Kahlo and Rivera first married in August 1929 and the event was widely covered by the Mexican and international media.
Infidelities on both sides led to divorce in November 1939 but the separation was short-lived and they remarried in December 1940.
The painting Diego and I was commissioned by two friends of Kahlo and was created during a period in which Rivera was having an affair with the movie star Maria Felix. The affair caused a public scandal and was widely reported on.
Not only was Felix beautiful and famous but she was also a very close friend of Kahlo. Extramarital relationships were not uncommon both from Kahlo and Rivera but this painting displays a deep level of emotional anguish even for their tumultuous relationship.
Kahlo often took to joking about the frequent adultery that they both conducted within their marriage.
However, it is clear that at times such as during the painting of this work she would reach very low points. In the painting Kahlo's hair is shown wrapped around her neck almost strangling her and tears run down her face as her eyes look mournfully towards the viewer.
The reason for her distress, Rivera, is depicted in the centre of her forehead indicating that although he may be the cause of her pain he is always prominent in her mind's eye and her obsession for him is made clear.
Despite their turbulent relationship and frequent indiscretions Kahlo and Rivera remained married until Kahlo's death in July 1954.
The painting was later sold at a Sotheby's New York auction in May 1990 for $1,430,000 making Kahlo the first ever Latin American artist to achieve a price above one million dollars.
