A new record for Frida Kahlo. Yet another confirmation of his lasting influence. Her portrait That dream it sold for $54.7 million (including auction fees) during the Surrealist Art sale at Sotheby’s, Manhattan. An absolute record for a work created by a female artist.
A four-minute upward bid allowed a painting from 1940 to change hands, a tumultuous year in Kahlo’s life that depicts the artist asleep in a canopied bed, above which sits a smiling papier-mâché frame. The work is entitled El sueño (The bed)explores one of Kahlo’s recurring obsessions: the fine line between sleep and death.
The auction confirmed global interest in Frida Kahlo’s paintings following the artist’s death in 1954. That dream it sold for more than half Sotheby’s initial estimate of between $40 and $60 million. The record is held by Georgia O’Keeffe: her 1932 painting Jimson Weed/White Flower No.1 it was sold at Sotheby’s in 2014 for $44.4 million.
The sale highlights Kahlo’s growth as a contemporary pop icon and renewed interest in Surrealism, the most provocative artistic movement of the twentieth century, which this year celebrates its centenary thanks to a combination of factors: new museum exhibitions, increased scholarly production, and a reevaluation of the contributions of female Surrealist artists, from Dorothea Tanning to Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini And Gertrude Abercrombie.
After three years of decline, November’s evening auctions – which closed on Friday – have provided an encouraging signal for the art market. Sotheby’s totaled $706 million on Tuesday, more than double last year’s comparable session, driven by record portraits Gustav Klimtsold for $236.4 million. Earlier this week, Christies sold $690 million worth of works, including colorful paintings Mark Rothko for 62 million dollars.
