Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has shattered the auction record for female artists with her painting 'The Dream (The Bed)' selling for an astonishing $54.7 million at Sotheby's in New York. The historic sale on Thursday, November 21, 2025, establishes Kahlo as the most expensive female artist in auction history, surpassing a record that stood for over a decade.
The Record-Breaking Auction
The competitive bidding saw two determined collectors battling for the masterpiece for at least five minutes before a telephone bidder emerged victorious, securing the painting to applause in Sotheby's new salesroom within the Breuer building. The final price dramatically exceeded the house's conservative $40 million low estimate, reflecting Kahlo's enduring global appeal and the painting's significant cultural value.
Kahlo's 1940 self-portrait dethroned the previous record holder - Georgia O'Keeffe's 'Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1' which sold for $44.4 million to Walmart billionaire Alice Walton eleven years earlier. The sale also established a new benchmark for Latin American art, surpassing the $34.9 million paid in 2021 for another Kahlo painting, 'Diego y yo' by Buenos Aires real-estate developer Eduardo Costantini.
The Significance of 'The Dream'
'The Dream' represents one of Kahlo's most personal and symbolic works. The painting depicts the artist floating against a blue sky, asleep in her canopy bed while vines curl toward her and an oversized skeleton lays overhead. The skeleton's bones are strapped with explosives and dried flowers, creating a powerful visual narrative about life, death, and pain.
Art experts note several factors that contributed to the painting's record-breaking price. Unlike many of Kahlo's smaller works typically created from her bed following her debilitating bus accident at age 18, 'The Dream' measures over 3 feet wide, giving it greater presence and 'wall power.' The painting's exploration of death - a recurring theme in Kahlo's work - holds particular significance since the artist actually kept a smaller papier-mâché skeleton atop her own canopy bed in Mexico City as a symbolic reminder of death's constant presence.
Frida Kahlo's Rising Global Status
The record sale underscores Kahlo's transformation from being overshadowed by her muralist husband Diego Rivera during their lifetimes to becoming a global cultural icon. While Rivera was more highly regarded in art circles during their era, Kahlo's popularity has surged dramatically in recent years as museums and collectors have come to appreciate the raw vulnerability and surreal storytelling in her works.
Sotheby's recognition of Kahlo's international appeal was evident in their decision to send 'The Dream' on a global preview tour to potential bidders in London, Paris, Abu Dhabi, and Hong Kong before the auction. The painting came from the estate of Selma Ertegun, a Brazilian socialite who, along with her jazz producer husband Nesuhi Ertegun, assembled an impressive collection of surrealist art.
The timing of Kahlo's record coincides with growing museum interest in her work. Major institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and London's Tate Modern are planning significant exhibitions of her work next year, ensuring her legacy continues to reach new audiences worldwide.
Despite this landmark achievement, the art market still shows significant gender disparity. While Kahlo's $54.7 million sale sets a new high for female artists, it remains far below the nine-figure sums achieved by male artists. Last year, Christie's sold a René Magritte painting for $121.2 million, placing him among more than a dozen male artists whose works have surpassed the $100 million mark.
The record-breaking sale of 'The Dream' not only cements Frida Kahlo's position as a artistic powerhouse but also signals a shifting landscape for female artists in the traditionally male-dominated art market.
