A self-portrait by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has become her most expensive work ever sold at auction: the painting sold for $54.7 million. This was reported by CNN, according to UNN.
Details
The canvas "El sueño (La cama)" ("The Dream (The Bed)") earned this title at a Sotheby's auction in New York, breaking the previous record held by American artist Georgia O'Keeffe. Her painting "Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1," which previously hung in the White House, was sold in 2014 for $44.4 million.
Kahlo's surreal self-portrait, exhibited by a private collector, was estimated to be worth $40-60 million. Another self-portrait by the artist, "Diego and I," previously held the second-highest spot among the most expensive artworks created by a woman after it was sold at Sotheby's in New York in 2021.
It is noted that before the auction, the painting, which had not been shown to the public for almost three decades, was exhibited in London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Paris, and New York.
In an email to CNN before the auction, Anna Di Stasi, Sotheby's Head of Latin American Art, wrote that "El sueño (La cama)" is "one of the few works of this caliber still in private hands."
Frida Kahlo holds an absolutely unique place in art history. Her paintings—deeply personal yet universal—create an almost spiritual connection with viewers. We saw this this season as "El sueño" ("The Bed") was exhibited around the world, and people lined up to see it.
According to CNN, the painting was part of the private collection auction "The Exquisite Body." It included more than 80 surreal paintings, drawings, and sculptures, including works by René Magritte and Salvador Dalí.
Recall
The golden toilet "America" by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at Sotheby's in New York for $12 million to an unknown buyer. The 18-karat gold art object, which functions as a normal toilet, satirizes excessive American wealth.
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