Frida Kahlo self-portrait sells for $34.9 million
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, November 14, 2024


Frida Kahlo self-portrait sells for $34.9 million
“Frida Kahlo's status as a global cultural icon is indisputable, and tonight’s outstanding result further secures her place in the auction echelon she belongs, as one of the true titans of 20th century art.” -- Julian Dawes, Sotheby’s Co-Head of Impressionist & Modern Art in New York



NEW YORK, NY.- A self-portrait by Frida Kahlo, an artist known for her raw emotional intensity, sold for $34.9 million at Sotheby’s on Tuesday night, setting an auction benchmark for the most expensive artwork by a Latin American artist.

Completed five years before her death in 1954, the oil painting, “Diego and I,” is one of Kahlo’s final self-portraits and an example of the unsettling intimacy that has attracted collectors to her paintings. The work offers a window into her turbulent marriage with Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, who is depicted in it just above the artist’s tearful eyes.

In setting a new high for a Latin American artist at auction, Kahlo surpassed a bench mark set by Rivera in 2018, when one of his paintings sold at auction for $9.76 million — or the equivalent of $10.75 million today, accounting for inflation.

Referring to “Diego and I,” Adriana Zavala, who curated a 2015 Kahlo exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden, said, “This is an important late work from a period where her physical suffering had intensified and her painting became erratic.”

Zavala added, “She looks less polished and poised.”

Kahlo, who was born in 1907 in Mexico City, began painting in 1926 while recovering from a bus accident that had left her with chronic pain. She developed a rich iconography touching on the realms of life and death, mixing violence and vulnerability in ways that often shocked viewers by pushing gender norms. She died at 47.

A Sotheby’s spokesperson declined to reveal the identities of either the painting’s consignor or its buyer; high levels of anonymity are typical in the auction world. The winning bid for $34.9 million after fees was taken by Anna Di Stasi, Sotheby’s director of Latin American art. A big sale had been assured even before the auction started because Sotheby’s had accepted both a guarantee and an irrevocable bid, meaning that a third party had already placed a bid that it could not withdraw.

“It’s a museum-quality piece,” said Brooke Lampley, Sotheby’s chair and worldwide head of global fine art sales. She added that cultural institutions had expressed interest in the artwork but that demand from private collectors had been high. “Frida is now on the wish list of collectors who collect great masterpieces of modern art.”

The last time “Diego and I” was sold at Sotheby’s was in 1990, when it became the first work by a Latin American artist to sell for more than $1 million. The value of Kahlo’s paintings has increased substantially since the 1980s, when one of her portraits sold for $85,000. Some art historians attribute the price jump to the increasingly limited availability of her paintings.

“Frida is becoming one of the most popular artists in the world,” said Gregorio Luke, the former director of the Museum of Latin American Art in California. He explained that Mexican laws prevent most sales of prominent 19th- and 20th-century artists, like Kahlo, from within the country. “So the price is the result of massive pent-up interest in the artist and very little inventory,” he said. “There are probably less than 20 to 30 paintings of hers on the market.”

Some admirers watching the auction regarded Kahlo’s ability to surpass her husband’s record as a sign of the times. Often with married artist couples, it is the woman who is forgotten, explained Jorge Daniel Veneciano, senior curator at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. “In terms of gender politics, this is a good thing,” Veneciano said. “Now we might say that Diego Rivera is the husband of Frida Kahlo, because she is outshining him.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

November 17, 2021

The Prado Museum presents the latest research on Leonardo's closest circle

Frida Kahlo self-portrait sells for $34.9 million

Blue-chip art from bitter Macklowe divorce brings $676 million at Sotheby's

Hirshhorn presents groundbreaking artist Laurie Anderson's largest US exhibition to date

The 'Fearless Girl' statue is in limbo

Hauser & Wirth presents a newly discovered, never before exhibited, painting by Arshile Gorky.

Greece agrees Parthenon Marbles feud should not strain ties: UK

Hindman Auctions to offer former Chicago entertainment & celebrity journalist Bill Zwecker's collection

Bob Gill, graphic designer who elevated the 'message,' dies at 90

Ketterer Kunst auction includes monumental triptych by Albert Oehlen

Metro Pictures opens final exhibition before its permanent closure at the end of the year.

Franklin Parrasch Gallery opens its first solo show of work by Sylvia Snowden

Exhibition at Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein celebrates the 25th anniversary of the VP Bank Art Foundation

'Marinella Senatore: Make it Shine' on view at Mazzoleni

Masterly Serov portrait leads the Russian Sale at Bonhams London

Polk Museum of Art partners with the Children's Museum of Naples to display new exhibition

A young architect brings an environmental sensibility to a family firm

Spring date set for Broadway revival of 'For Colored Girls'

Terence Wilson, of the reggae band UB40, is dead at 64

Thomas Jefferson statue evicted from City Hall will go to a museum

Yorkshire Sculpture Park opens an exhibition of works by Mark Hearld

1790s rarities, Old West wonders and modern marvels drive Heritage Auctions' US coins auction to $11.4 million finish

Dallas Museum of Art presents 'Bamana Mud Cloth: From Mali to the World'

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art announces Erin Monroe as Krieble Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture

Marina Tabassum, architect of the dispossessed, wins Soane Medal

A Quick How-to Guide for Making a Milk Carton Die Box or Gift box

The 5 Greatest Works of Art Ever

Preparing for Artwork Relocation

Games to play whilst on an art trip

Why Should Couples Shop for Engagement Rings Together?

How to Paint Abstract Art Like a Professional

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAA-CO1 AND SAA-CO2?




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful