"El Sueño (La Cama) (the dream, the bed), painted in 1940, depicts a slumbering Kahlo wreathed in vines and floating in the sky, while a large skeleton, wired with explosives and clutching a bouquet, lies atop the bed's canopy. The work references real life: Kahlo actually did place a smaller papier-mâché skeleton, named Juda, atop her bed, to symbolise the continuity between life and death, a theme prevalent throughout her work. Her husband, the artist Diego Rivera, would joke that Juda was her lover."
"The oil on canvas, which measures 74cm by 98cm, has been not been guaranteed, though this does not rule out the possibility of it being pre-sold closer to the auction. Should it sell near its low estimate, it will achieve the artist's highest price at auction. This title is presently claimed by Diego y yo (1949), depicting the artist and Rivera, which netted $34.9m (with fees) at Sotheby's New York in 2021. Kahlo's paintings are understood to have sold for more on the private market."
El Sueño (La Cama), painted in 1940, depicts a sleeping Frida Kahlo wreathed in vines with a large skeleton wired with explosives atop the bed's canopy. Kahlo placed a papier-mâché skeleton named Juda on her bed to symbolise continuity between life and death; Diego Rivera joked Juda was her lover. The oil on canvas measures 74cm by 98cm and has not been guaranteed, leaving open pre-sale possibilities. The painting will be offered at Sotheby's New York in November and could exceed Kahlo's auction record of $34.9m and potentially surpass the $44.4m female-artist record. The lot is from a major private collection including works by Dalí, Dorothea Tanning, René Magritte and Max Ernst.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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