Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh's work have long been cherished and considered some of the most expensive artworks across the globe. Among the works of male artists, a few female painters stand out, including Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe.
Recently, legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo's self-portrait was sold at a New York art auction for a staggering price of $54.7 million (approximately Rs 487 crore), as per a report by BBC. The sale, which took place at the Sotheby's auction house on Thursday, has set a new record for the highest amount ever paid for a painting by a female artist.
Deep Dive Into Frida Kahlo's Self-Portrait El Sueno
The 1940 artwork, named El sueno or The Dream (The Bed) by Frida Kahlo, brought in 54.7 million dollars after four minutes of bidding.
El Sueno marks one of Frida Kahlo's most "psychologically charged" self-portraits, claimed a Sotheby member. Reportedly, it was painted when she was navigating through a turbulent chapter in her life. It was the year when Frida's former lover was assassinated, which was followed by her divorce and remarriage.
The surrealist painting depicts Frida Kahlo sleeping in a bunk bed. She is wrapped in a canopy of leaves. In the overhead bunk, lies a skeleton, covered in dynamite. It symbolises her resilience during a physically and emotionally difficult time. It captures her struggles with her relationship and illness.
This painting is a "very personal" image, in which Kahlo "merges folkloric motifs from Mexican culture with European surrealism," Anna Di Stasi, head of Latin American art at Sotheby's, told AFP.
El Sueno By Frida Kahlo Has Broken Records
Ahead of the auction, El Sueno was expected to sell for anywhere between 40 million dollars and 60 million dollars. The painting's final price surpasses Frida Kahlo's previous auction record, set in 2021. Back then, her painting Diego y Yo (Diego and I) was sold for $34.9 million (Rs 309 crore). That particular creation depicted Frida with her husband, muralist Diego Rivera.
'El sueño (La cama)' by Frida Kahlo soars to $54.7 million, becoming the most valuable work by a woman artist ever sold at auction.
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) November 21, 2025
Painted in 1940 during a pivotal decade in her career, marked by her turbulent relationship with Diego Rivera. pic.twitter.com/t6Sni7fIKT
El Sueno has also broken the record set by another female artist, Georgia O'Keeffe from America. Her 1932 painting "Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1," fetched $44.4 million (Rs 391 crore) in 2014.
According to Anna Di Stasi, the auction house's head of Latin American art, “This record-breaking result shows just how far we have come, not only in our appreciation of Frida Kahlo's genius, but in the recognition of women artists at the very highest level of the market.”
Frida Kahlo, who died in 1954, is widely recognised as one of the greatest painters. She earned fame for her personal portraits, which often highlighted her painful relationship with her body. She suffered from polio in her childhood and struggled with serious injuries following a bus accident.
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