The immediate shock of seeing both the birth giver and the birthed child appearing lifeless is profound in Frida Kahlo's "My Birth." The woman giving birth has her head shrouded in white cloth, while the baby emerging from the womb seems similarly inanimate. Above the bed, the Virgin of Sorrows hangs, underscoring a theme of intense maternal pain and suffering. This work, made in a retablo style, typically includes thanks to the Madonna beneath the image; however, Kahlo leaves this section conspicuously blank, suggesting an inability to give thanks for her own birth or for her inability to bear children. The artist herself had recently lost a child and stated she is the covered mother figure, although the title and her mother's recent death also suggest the shrouded figure could be her mother and the baby Kahlo. This powerful oil on metal piece explores the close proximity of birth and death, a raw depiction of trauma. Popstar Madonna reportedly collected this work, using it as a litmus test for friendship, famously stating, "If somebody doesn’t like this painting, then I know they can’t be my friend." It is a work that demands a reaction, challenging viewers to confront the raw, unadorned experience of life and loss.