Frida Kahlo’s 1940 self-portrait, “El sueño (La cama)” or “The Dream (The Bed)”, has sold for a staggering $54.7 million at Sotheby’s in New York, setting a new record for the most expensive work by a female artist ever auctioned. This remarkable sale not only surpasses the previous record held by Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1”, which sold for $44.4 million in 2014, but also marks a significant milestone for Latin American art.
The painting, depicting Kahlo asleep in a colonial-style bed floating amidst clouds, with a skeleton wrapped in dynamite looming above, is a testament to her unique style and emotional depth. The artwork’s sale price is more than 1,000 times its 1980 value, when it was first sold for $51,000.
Kahlo’s work has long been revered for its raw emotion and vivid symbolism, and this sale cements her position as one of the most valuable artists in the world. The painting’s new owner remains anonymous, but it has already been requested for upcoming exhibitions in major cities, including New York, London, and Brussels.
