Historic Sale Sees Frida Kahlo Smash Female Artist Auction Record
A remarkable self-portrait by the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has achieved a staggering price of $54.7 million (£41.8 million) at a New York auction, instantly establishing a new world record for the most valuable work by a female artist ever sold at auction. The 1940 painting, titled El sueño (La cama) or The Dream (The Bed), was the star lot at Sotheby's and ignited approximately five minutes of competitive bidding before the final, record-breaking hammer fell.
The Painting and Its Provenance
The masterpiece, which had been out of public view for nearly three decades, had been estimated to fetch between $40 million (£30.5 million) and $60 million (£45.8 million). According to reports from Artnews, the winning bid was secured over the telephone by Anna Di Stasi, Sotheby’s head of Latin American art. The identity of the new owner remains confidential.
This sale propels El sueño past the previous record holder, Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed/White Flower No 1, which sold for $44.4 million (£33.92 million) in 2014. Furthermore, the painting has also broken the auction record for Latin American art, a title previously held by Kahlo herself for her 1949 work Diego y Yo (Diego and I), which achieved $34.9 million (£26.6 million) in 2021.
The painting is a profound example of Kahlo's unique style. It depicts the artist asleep in a four-poster bed, floating eerily against a bright blue sky. Above her, an oversized skeleton, its ribcage bound with explosives and dried flowers, looms menacingly. This powerful combination of intimate autobiography and macabre symbolism is classic Kahlo, often interpreted as a deep meditation on pain, mortality, and her tumultuous personal life.
A Painting of Rarity and Global Appeal
Anna Di Stasi emphasised the work's significance, telling CNN that it was “one of very few works of this calibre still in private hands.” She elaborated on Kahlo's enduring appeal, stating, “There’s an almost spiritual connection people have with her paintings, which are so deeply personal yet at the same time resonate universally.” This global fascination was evident as the painting toured London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Paris, and New York prior to the sale, drawing large crowds.
The work was offered for sale as part of the estate of Brazilian socialite and collector Selma Ertegun and her jazz producer husband, Nesuhi Ertegun. According to the New York Times, Nesuhi Ertegun originally purchased El sueño (La cama) at Sotheby’s back in 1980 for just $51,000 (£38,960), highlighting the extraordinary appreciation in value. The Erteguns' collection, which had held the painting for 45 years, also included a record-setting sale of Dorothea Tanning’s Interior with Sudden Joy for $3.4 million (£2.5 million).
The scarcity of Kahlo's work on the international market has significantly driven up prices. The majority of her artistic output is located in Mexico, where it has been formally declared an “artistic monument” under patrimony law. This legal protection prohibits these pieces from being exported or destroyed, creating intense competition for the rare works, like El sueño, that remain in lawful private circulation outside the country.
Rooted in Personal Struggle
El sueño was created during a pivotal period shaped by Kahlo's lifelong health struggles, including childhood polio and a devastating bus accident at age 18. These injuries left her in constant pain, confined to bed for long periods and reliant on supportive corsets. Her family ingeniously mounted a mirror above her bed and adapted an easel so she could paint while lying down. This experience forged her artistic identity, which she once summarised by writing, “I am not dead and I have a reason to live. That reason is painting.”
The record-setting sale for Kahlo occurred just two nights after another major achievement for Sotheby's, where a painting by Gustav Klimt sold for $236.4 million (£179.7 million), the second-highest auction price in history.
