A rare self-portrait by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is poised to make art auction history when it goes under the hammer at Sotheby's this November. The painting, titled "El sueño (La cama)" or "The Dream (The Bed)" in English, carries an estimated price tag of $40 million to $60 million and could potentially shatter the current record for the highest price ever paid for artwork by a female artist.
The current record stands at $44.4 million, paid at Sotheby's in 2014 for Georgia O'Keeffe's "Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1." If Kahlo's painting reaches its upper estimate, it would surpass this milestone by a significant margin. The highest auction price for a Kahlo work to date is $34.9 million, achieved in 2021 for "Diego and I," which depicted the artist alongside her husband, renowned muralist Diego Rivera. However, reports suggest that Kahlo's paintings have sold privately for even higher amounts.
"It's not just one of the more important works by Kahlo, but one of a few that exists outside of Mexico and not in a museum collection," explained Julian Dawes, vice chairman and head of impressionist and modern art for Sotheby's Americas. "So as both a work of art and as an opportunity in the market, it could not be more rare and special."
Painted in 1940, "El sueño (La cama)" showcases Kahlo's distinctive style and deeply personal symbolism. The artwork depicts the artist herself, adorned with vines, lying in a four-poster bed that appears to float against a pale blue sky. Above her, positioned on the bed's canopy, lies a skeleton wired with dynamite while clutching a bouquet of flowers. While the image bursts with symbolic meaning and reads like an allegory, Dawes noted that the artist actually kept a papier-mâché skeleton atop her own bed, grounding the surreal imagery in reality.
Kahlo's life was dramatically altered when she was severely injured in a bus accident at age 18. This traumatic event led her to begin painting while bedridden during her recovery. She subsequently endured numerous painful surgeries on her damaged spine and pelvis, living in casts and dealing with chronic pain until her death in 1954 at the young age of 47. Her art vibrantly and unflinchingly captured both her physical suffering and emotional experiences throughout this challenging period.
According to Dawes, the painting represents "a psychological self-portrait by an artist at her peak." He emphasized that Kahlo's greatest masterpieces emerged from the period between the late 1930s and early 1940s. "She has had a variety of tribulations in her romantic life with Diego, in her own life with her health, but at the same time she's really at the height of her powers," he observed.
The painting, which hasn't been exhibited publicly since the late 1990s, serves as the centerpiece of a major sale featuring more than 100 surrealist works. The collection includes pieces by legendary artists such as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Max Ernst, and Dorothea Tanning, all from a private collection whose owner remains undisclosed.
The timing of this sale coincides with a remarkable surge in interest and prices for surrealist art. According to Sotheby's data, surrealism's share of the art market has grown substantially from 9.3% to 16.8% between 2018 and 2024. This boom was exemplified last year when Magritte's "L'empire des lumières" sold for a record-breaking $121.2 million, setting a new benchmark for surrealist works.
While Kahlo herself resisted being categorized as a surrealist artist, Dawes argues that her fascination with the subconscious mind and her use of otherworldly imagery place her firmly within that artistic tradition. The current resurgence of surrealism doesn't surprise him, given the parallels between different historical periods.
"There are so many interesting parallels between the 1920s and the 2020s," Dawes observed. "Coming out of a crippling global pandemic, a world that has to confront war on a more graphic and intimate level than had ever been experienced before – and economic and political and social forces swirling in the background that are eerily similar."
Before the November 8 auction in New York, "El sueño (La cama)" is embarking on an international tour to build anticipation among collectors worldwide. The painting is currently on display at Sotheby's London location through Tuesday, after which it will travel to Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, and Paris, giving art enthusiasts around the globe the opportunity to view this potentially record-breaking masterpiece in person.
