A painting by renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has shattered auction records, selling for $54.7 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York. The work, titled "El sueño (La cama)" (The Dream/The Bed), has become the most expensive artwork by a female artist ever sold at auction, surpassing the previous record.
The 1940 self-portrait depicts Kahlo lying in bed, a recurring theme in her work that reflected her lifelong struggles with physical pain and disability. Two bidders engaged in an intense five-minute bidding war for the painting, according to Sotheby's auction house. The identity of the winning bidder was not disclosed, maintaining the anonymity typical of high-value art sales.
The sale represents a dramatic increase in value for the artwork, which was last auctioned in 1980 for just $51,000 – approximately one-thousandth of its current sale price. This astronomical appreciation demonstrates the growing recognition and market value of Kahlo's work over the past four decades.
"This record result shows how far we have come, not only in our recognition of Frida Kahlo's genius, but also in the recognition of female artists at the highest level of the market," said Anna Di Stasi, head of Sotheby's Latin American Art department. Her statement highlights the broader significance of the sale in advancing the market position of works by women artists.
The previous record for the most expensive artwork by a woman was held by Georgia O'Keeffe's "Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1," which sold for $44 million in 2014. For Kahlo specifically, the previous auction record was $34.9 million, achieved in 2021, making this sale a significant leap forward for the artist's market value.
The record-breaking sale occurred during the traditional fall auction season at major New York auction houses, which had already seen another historic achievement earlier in the week. A painting by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) sold for $236.4 million, making it the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction in art history.
The most expensive artwork ever sold at auction remains "Salvator Mundi," attributed to Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), which was sold in New York in 2017 for $450.3 million. These record-breaking sales demonstrate the continued strength and growth of the high-end art market, particularly for works by historically significant artists.
