Frida Kahlo’s “The Dream” Set to Break Auction Records

Frida Kahlo’s painting “El sueño (La cama)” is making headlines as it approaches auction on November 20, 2023, at Sotheby’s in New York. The artwork is estimated to sell for between $40 million and $60 million, potentially setting a record for the highest price paid for a piece by any female artist or Latin American artist.

The painting has garnered significant attention after being displayed in major cities including London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, and Paris. According to Mexican art historian Helena Chávez Mac Gregor, a researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), this auction reflects an atmosphere of “a lot of speculation.”

In Mexico, Kahlo’s artworks are protected under a declaration of artistic monument, which prohibits the sale or destruction of pieces within the country. However, the current painting is held in a private collection abroad, making it eligible for international sale. Art curator Cuauhtémoc Medina criticized the inconsistencies in the system governing Mexican modern artistic heritage, stating, “The system of declaring Mexican modern artistic heritage is very anomalous.”

Understanding “El sueño (La cama)”

Created in 1940, “El sueño (La cama)” reflects Kahlo’s experiences after her trip to Paris, where she engaged with the surrealist movement. Contrary to popular belief, the skull depicted in the painting is not a Day of the Dead skeleton but a representation of Judas Iscariot, traditionally symbolizing purification during Easter. The effigy, detailed with firecrackers and flowers, draws from a cardboard figure that Kahlo kept in her own bed’s canopy.

Chávez Mac Gregor noted, “Frida spent a lot of time in bed waiting for death,” due to numerous health challenges throughout her life. While Kahlo’s work is being auctioned alongside pieces by renowned surrealists such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte, she distanced herself from the movement, viewing it as bourgeois. Despite this, elements of surrealism are evident in her work, showcasing an exploration of the dreamlike and the personal.

The Art Market and Its Implications

“El sueño (La cama)” last appeared in public exhibitions during the 1990s, and after the auction, it may vanish from public view once more, a common fate for high-value artworks. Kahlo’s previous record sale occurred in 2021 when “Diego y yo” sold for $34.9 million. That painting, which features Kahlo and her husband, muralist Diego Rivera, was acquired by Argentine businessman Eduardo Costantini and is currently on display at the Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires.

Medina expressed concern that art has increasingly become a financial commodity, lamenting that exorbitant purchases often turn artworks into mere investments. He warned that such pieces could end up in tax-free zones or even stored in inaccessible locations, such as a “refrigerator at Frankfurt airport for decades to come.”

As the auction approaches, the current record for a female artist stands at $44.4 million, achieved by Georgia O’Keeffe for her painting “Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1” in 2014. Despite the rising prices for female artists, no woman has yet surpassed the highest sale price of a male artist, a benchmark set by Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi,” which sold for an astounding $450.3 million in 2017.

The upcoming auction of “El sueño (La cama)” not only highlights the legacy of Frida Kahlo but also raises important discussions about the value of art in contemporary society. As anticipation builds, many will be watching to see if this iconic piece will indeed shatter existing records.