Mexican art historians weigh in on upcoming Kahlo's auction that could fetch up to $60 million

"Frida Kahlo's El sueno (La cama) in English, The Dream (The Bed) is causing a stir among art historians as its estimated $40 million to $60 million price tag would make it the most expensive work by any female or Latin American artist when it goes to auction later this month. Sotheby's auction house will put the painting up for sale on Nov. 20 in New York after exhibiting it in London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Paris."

"In Mexico, Kahlo's work is protected by a declaration of artistic monument, meaning pieces within the country cannot be sold or destroyed. However, works from private collections abroad like the painting in question, whose owner remains unrevealed are legally eligible for international sale. The system of declaring Mexican modern artistic heritage is very anomalous, said Mexican curator Cuauhtemoc Medina, an art historian and specialist in contemporary art."

"Contrary to contemporary belief, the skull on the bed's canopy is not a Day of the Dead skeleton, but a Judas a handmade cardboard figure. Traditionally lit with gunpowder during Easter, this effigy symbolizes purification and the triumph of good over evil, representing Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. In the painting, the skeleton is detailed with firecrackers, flowers on its ribs and a smiling grimace a detail inspired by a cardboard skeleton Kahlo actually kept in the canopy of her own bed."

Frida Kahlo's 1940 painting El sueno (La cama) carries an estimated auction value of $40–$60 million, potentially becoming the highest-priced work by a female or Latin American artist. Sotheby's will sell the painting on Nov. 20 in New York after exhibitions in London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Paris. Mexican law protects Kahlo's works declared as artistic monuments from sale or destruction within the country, but privately held pieces abroad remain eligible for international sale. The painting features a Judas effigy, not a Day of the Dead skeleton, with firecrackers, flowers on the ribs and a smiling grimace inspired by Kahlo's own bed canopy.

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