Mexico City.– A rock opera telling the story of artist Frida Kahlo's life will be staged next year to mark the centennial of her birth, Mexican musician Marcos Lifshitz told the press.

The composer said he had already written several parts of the work but was looking for new funding to complete the project in time for it to be staged in 2007, when the Mexican artist would have turned 100.

Lifshitz said the libretto for the opera, which will combine classical and rock music, covers the different periods in Kahlo's life from childhood until her death in 1954.

"The challenge in writing the opera is to determine what part of her life to emphasize. I plan to combine the history with music, allowing me to give more drama to the work," Lifshitz said.

The composer and arranger said he would look for funding from the companies that businesswoman Cristina Dorsett has joined forces with to sell the "Frida" doll abroad.

Lifshitz said he would speak with Kahlo's family to gain further insights into the artist's life as he completed the libretto for the rock opera.

Kahlo was the wife and muse of muralist Diego Rivera, as well as a friend of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and French writer Andre Breton.

The Frida Kahlo Corporation, managed by the heirs of the Mexican painter, has cut licensing deals for products bearing the artist's image or name.

Among the products on the market are dolls, tequila, eyeglasses, books and jewelry.