A self-portrait by legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is poised to shatter auction records and potentially become the most expensive painting ever sold by a woman artist. The 1940 masterpiece "El sueño (La cama)" – translated as "The Dream (The Bed)" – is estimated to sell for between $40 million and $60 million when it goes under the hammer at Sotheby's New York on November 20.
The haunting oil painting measures 29 by 39 inches and depicts Kahlo's signature surrealist style with profound symbolism. The artwork shows Frida sleeping peacefully in an enormous bed floating in a cloudy sky, her jet-black hair spread across the pillow as she disappears beneath the embrace of a yellow blanket and leafy branch. Above the sleeping figure hovers a skeletal form laden with explosives and holding a bouquet – a stark reminder of mortality that transforms what could be a peaceful scene into something far more complex and introspective.
Currently, the record for the most expensive artwork by a female artist belongs to American painter Georgia O'Keeffe, who died in 1986. Her 1932 painting "Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1," featuring a white morning glory flower, sold for $44.4 million. The prestigious artwork even adorned the walls of the White House's private dining room throughout George W. Bush's presidency, cementing its place in both art history and American culture.
Kahlo, who died in 1954 at just 47 years old, currently holds the second-place record for the most expensive work created by a woman with her painting "Diego y yo" (Diego and Me). That final self-portrait from the 1940s, depicting her with husband Diego Rivera, found a buyer in November 2021 for $34.9 million. If "El sueño" achieves its estimated price range, it would surpass both records and establish a new benchmark for female artists in the auction world.
According to Sotheby's, "El sueño (La cama)" encapsulates Kahlo's perpetual preoccupation with mortality, physicality, and the emotional complexity of identity. The juxtaposition of the living body and the skeleton reflects the duality between life and death, consciousness and unconsciousness – recurring themes throughout the artist's work. The Guardian reports that Kahlo, who was tormented by the fear of dying in her sleep, actually kept a papier-mâché skeleton above her own bed, making this painting deeply personal and autobiographical.
The significant work comes from a private collection and will be offered alongside 23 other notable pieces in what promises to be a spectacular auction. The sale will feature four paintings by Belgian surrealist René Magritte, including "La Représentation" and "La Révélation du présent," as well as "Composition" by Paul Delvaux and two works by Salvador Dalí: "Symbiose de la tête aux coquillages" and "La Ville." This impressive lineup of surrealist and modern masters creates a fitting context for Kahlo's dreamlike masterpiece, potentially helping to drive competitive bidding and achieve the record-breaking estimates.
