Frida Kahlo Artwork Breaks Record at Auction
A famous Frida Kahlo artwork has set a new world record. The 1940 self-portrait sold for $54.7m at an auction in New York. The sale marks the highest price ever paid for a work by any female artist.
Record Sale for Frida Kahlo Artwork
The painting is titled El sueño (La cama), or The Dream (The Bed). It shows Kahlo asleep in a bed while a smiling skeleton wrapped in dynamite rests above her on the canopy. The surreal image attracted strong interest from collectors. As a result, bidding lasted only four minutes before the hammer came down.
Experts expected the piece to sell for between $40m and $60m. However, the final price exceeded most predictions. It also surpassed the previous record set by Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1, which sold for $44.4m in 2014.
A New Milestone in Art History
Sotheby’s has not yet revealed the winning buyer. Still, the sale has already sparked huge excitement in the art world. Many see it as another sign of Kahlo’s growing global influence. In addition, the result continues a trend of rising values for Latin American art.
This is not the first time Kahlo has broken records. Her painting Diego y Yo reached $34.9m in 2021. That sale set the previous high for Latin American art. It showed Kahlo alongside her husband, the muralist Diego Rivera. Therefore, the new sale represents a major leap forward.
Some of her works are also reported to have sold privately for even more. These numbers highlight her lasting cultural power. They also reflect a wider appreciation for diverse artistic voices. As a result, the demand for her pieces continues to grow worldwide.
