UPDATE: Frida Kahlo’s iconic painting, “El sueño (La cama),” is poised to make history at auction, with estimates soaring between $40 million and $60 million. Scheduled for sale on November 20, 2023 at Sotheby’s in New York, this piece could become the most expensive work ever sold by a female or Latin American artist.
Currently sparking excitement among art historians, the painting has been exhibited in major cities including London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, and Paris. Mexican art historian Helena Chávez Mac Gregor, affiliated with UNAM’s Institute of Aesthetic Research, emphasizes that “this is a moment of a lot of speculation” regarding its potential sale.
The painting, created in 1940, features a unique representation of a skull—often mistaken for a Day of the Dead figure—symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. Kahlo’s personal struggles with health and life experiences heavily influence her artistry, as noted by Chávez Mac Gregor: “She had a very complex life because of all the illnesses and physical challenges with which she lived.”
In Mexico, Kahlo’s works are protected by law, preventing their sale or destruction. However, this particular piece is eligible for auction as it resides in a private collection abroad, the identity of which remains undisclosed. Cuauhtémoc Medina, a noted Mexican curator and art historian, critiques the current system as “anomalous,” highlighting the challenges faced by Mexican modern artistic heritage.
As “El sueño (La cama)” approaches auction day, it stands alongside works by renowned surrealists such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte. Despite her connections to the surrealist movement, including meeting its founder André Breton, Kahlo never identified with it, viewing it as a bourgeois movement. “Frida always had a critical distance from that,” Chávez Mac Gregor explains.
The urgency of this auction cannot be overstated, particularly since Kahlo’s paintings, once sold for significant sums, often vanish from public view. The last major auction record for a Kahlo painting was set in 2021 when “Diego y yo” sold for $34.9 million. The current record for any female artist is held by Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1,” which fetched $44.4 million in 2014.
While these sales reflect an evolving art market, they also raise concerns. Medina warns that high-priced purchases reduce art to mere economic assets, often relegated to tax-free zones or left to languish in storage. He noted, “Their fate may be worse; they may end up in a refrigerator at Frankfurt airport for decades to come.”
As the art world watches closely, the outcome of this auction could redefine the landscape for female artists and challenge existing market disparities. With no female artist yet surpassing the highest sale price of a male artist, which remains at a staggering $450.3 million for Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi,” the stakes have never been higher.
As the countdown to the auction begins, art enthusiasts and collectors are bracing for what could be a groundbreaking moment in art history. Stay tuned for updates as this story develops.
