UPDATE: A major auction is set to take place on November 20 in New York, featuring Frida Kahlo’s iconic painting “El sueño (La cama)” that could fetch between $40 million and $60 million. This sale marks a pivotal moment for art history, as it may establish a new record for the most expensive work by a female or Latin American artist.
Art historians are buzzing about the significance of this auction, which will be held at Sotheby’s following an international exhibition tour that included stops in London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, and Paris. “This is a moment of a lot of speculation,” stated Mexican art historian Helena Chávez Mac Gregor, highlighting the excitement and uncertainty surrounding the sale.
The painting, created in 1940 after Kahlo’s influential trip to Paris, features a surrealist style that has captivated audiences for decades. Unlike common interpretations, the skull depicted is not a Day of the Dead figure, but a “Judas,” symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. “Kahlo spent a lot of time in bed waiting for death,” Chávez Mac Gregor explained, emphasizing the artist’s complex relationship with life and art.
This auction comes at a time when Kahlo’s work remains protected in Mexico, but pieces from private collections abroad are eligible for sale. The owner of “El sueño (La cama)” has not been disclosed, raising further intrigue about the painting’s future.
Currently, the record for the highest sale of a work by a female artist is held by Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1,” which sold for $44.4 million in 2014. However, Kahlo’s painting could surpass this amount, marking a significant milestone in the art market, which has yet to see a female artist exceed the sales of their male counterparts. The highest sale remains Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi,” which sold for a staggering $450.3 million in 2017.
Experts warn that the increasing commercialization of art risks relegating pieces like Kahlo’s to private collections, potentially disappearing from public view. Curator Cuauhtémoc Medina expressed concerns about the implications of high-priced art transactions, noting that many artworks are bought purely as financial investments, often resulting in their confinement to tax-free zones or worse, warehouses.
As the auction date approaches, the art world watches closely. Will Kahlo’s “El sueño (La cama)” set a new benchmark for female artists? What will this mean for the future of art valuation and accessibility?
Stay tuned for updates as this developing story unfolds. This auction not only aims to break records but also to redefine the narrative of female representation in the art world.
