According to The Paper, on the evening of November 20th, local time in the United States, Frida Kahlo's (1907-1954) self-portrait "The Dream (Bed)" sold for $54.7 million (approximately 389 million yuan) at Sotheby's New York, surpassing the record of $44.4 million held by Georgia O'Keeffe in 2014, becoming the highest-priced work by a female artist at auction in history.
"Dream (Bed)" is a surrealist self-portrait created in 1940, a turbulent year for Caro, during which her health and marriage deteriorated. Through her work, she explored the connection between sleep and death.
The Paper learned that Frida Kahlo's "The Dream (Bed)" broke the previous auction record held by Georgia O'Keeffe's "Mandala/White Flower No. 1," which was sold to Walmart billionaire Alice Walton for $44.4 million 11 years ago (in 2014).
Frida Kahlo's *The Bed*
Georgia O'Keeffe, *Mandala/White Flower No. 1*
Previously, the highest auction record for a Frida Kahlo work was held by "Diego and Me," painted in 1949. That work was purchased in 2021 for $34.9 million by Buenos Aires real estate developer Eduardo Costantini. "Diego and Me" is a self-portrait of the artist, with a small portrait of her muralist husband, Diego Rivera, painted on her forehead.
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a Mexican painter, born in Mexico City. Her works blend elements of traditional Mexican culture, often using bright colors combined with realism and symbolism. At the age of six, she contracted polio, which caused her right leg to atrophy. In 1925, she suffered a serious car accident that left her with a lifelong disability. During her recovery, she began to teach herself to paint.
Frida Kahlo's *Diego and I*
Created in 1940, a turbulent year for Carlo, who suffered from a broken marriage and immense emotional pain, *El sueño (La cama)* (The Dream Bed) highlights the artist's focus on the relationship between sleep and death. The painting depicts Carlo sleeping on her four-poster bed under a blue sky, vines coiling around her, and a large skull lying above her head, its bones adorned with explosives and dried flowers. The scene even mirrors her real life: in her Mexico City home, Carlo did indeed have a smaller papier-mâché skull on her own four-poster bed, a symbol of the omnipresence of death. Her husband, Rivera, often joked that the skull was her lover.
Frida Kahlo's *The Bed*
Sotheby's reportedly set a starting price of $40 million for "The Dream (Bed)". During the pre-auction bidding, Sotheby's held previews of the work in London, Paris, Abu Dhabi, and other locations for potential bidders to view. According to the Wall Street Journal, the bidding process lasted no more than five minutes, with a telephone bidder ultimately winning.
According to art observers, the high price achieved by Caro's *Dream (Bed)* may be due to its size and subject matter. Caro was injured in a serious bus accident at the age of 18, after which she was often forced to paint in bed, resulting in smaller works. However, this painting, approximately 91 centimeters wide, possesses a stronger visual impact. Earlier this week, at Christie's, another of Caro's more typical works, *Shop Windows in Detroit*, created in 1931-1932 and measuring approximately 38 centimeters, sold for $7.2 million, in line with its estimate of $6 million to $8 million.
Frida Kahlo
During her lifetime, Caro exhibited and sold her works in New York and other cities. However, in Mexico, local heritage laws stipulate that her works remaining in Mexico are considered "art monuments," meaning that no one can sell them abroad, thus limiting the supply of her works. Currently, a small number of Caro's works still circulate globally, but collectors are often willing to pay higher prices for her self-portraits.
Frida Kahlo and Rivera
During Rivera's lifetime, he held a higher status in the art world than his wife, Caro. However, in recent years, his global profile has skyrocketed as museums have begun to explore the sincerity and vulnerability inherent in Frida's work. Next year, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Tate Modern in London will host major exhibitions of Frida's work.
Some argue that this auction highlights Frida Kahlo's growing status as a popular culture icon and the flourishing of Surrealism. Frida Kahlo was a fashion icon in popular culture, admired for her Mexican national costumes and her braided hairstyle. In 2002, the film adaptation of Caroline Kahlo, starring Salma Hayek, introduced her paintings and dramatic life to a new generation of audiences. The popularity of Surrealism benefited from a combination of factors, including increased museum exhibitions and academic research, as well as a re-evaluation of female artists such as Dorothea Tannin, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Finney.
Dorothea Tannin's paintings
After three years of declining sales, recent auctions have brought a glimmer of hope to the art market. Sotheby's Tuesday night sale grossed $706 million, more than double the figures from the same period last year, with a portrait by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt setting a record at $236 million and leading the evening's sales. Earlier this week, Christie's achieved $690 million in its 20th-century art sale, including a Mark Rothko painting featuring vibrant orange-red stripes that sold for $62 million. Last year, Christie's sold Magritte's "Empire of Light" for $120 million, placing Magritte among the artists whose works have sold for at least a dozen or so over $100 million.
Some critics believe that all artists whose works have sold for over $100 million at auction are male. While Frida Kahlo's work set a record at $54.7 million, it also illustrates that female artists still have a long way to go to reach the next level.
