The Mexican artist is known for her self-portraits, depicting themes of identity which pushed gender norms, the human body, death, as well as her debilitating health issues. The most valuable work sold at auction was by a woman artist, Georgia O'Keeffe, selling for $44.4 million in Sotheby's American art sale in 2014. "You could call tonight's result the ultimate revenge, but in fact it is the ultimate validation of Kahlo's extraordinary talent and global appeal."īack in 2018, a Rivera painting had been the previous record-holder for highest auction price for a Latin American artist's work selling at Christie's for 9.8 million. "Painted in the same year her beloved Diego embarked on an affair with her friend, the Mexican Golden Age (actor) Maria Felix, this powerful portrait is the painted articulation of her anguish and sorrow," said Sotheby's director of Latin American art, Anna Di Stasi, in a press statement following the auction. According to the auction house behind the sale, Sotheby's, this self-portrait surpasses her previous record of $8 million set in 2016 and places Kahlo "center stage among the great titans of art history," Sotheby claims.
Many expected the portrait to smash records, for it already had an estimate of 30 million back in October, the Associated Press reported. In the center of her forehead, is a small image of Rivera's face with a third eye- a symbol of how he occupied her mind. The self-portrait depicts Kahlo gazing tearfully, while strands of her hair look like they are just about to strangle her.
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