A surrealist painting by Frida Kahlo from the 1940s has been sold for $54.7 million (£41.8 million), setting a new auction record for an artwork by a female artist. This sale exceeded the painting’s initial auction price of $51,000 in 1980 by more than 1,000 times, following competitive bids from two collectors, according to Sotheby’s auction house.
The artwork, titled El sueño (la cama) or The Dream (The Bed), portrays Kahlo asleep in a canopy bed with a skeleton intertwined with dynamite. Sotheby’s characterized it as one of Kahlo’s most psychologically intense self-portraits, created during a challenging period in her life, which included the assassination of her former lover and her divorce and subsequent remarriage.
Frida Kahlo, who passed away in 1954, is recognized as one of the most significant painters of the 20th century, particularly known for her deeply personal self-portraits. Many of her works reflect her struggles with physical disabilities resulting from polio in her childhood and severe injuries from a bus accident.
Prior to this sale, El sueño (la cama) had not been extensively available in the public market due to Mexican regulations established in the 1980s that classified her artwork as cultural monuments, limiting their export. The previous highest auction price for a Kahlo portrait was $34.9 million, achieved in 2021.
The previous record for a female artist was held by Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed / White Flower No. 1, which fetched $44 million at Sotheby’s in 2014. Kahlo’s artistic contributions and this record-setting sale raise questions about the evolving recognition of female artists in the auction market.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdege1867lno?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss