A painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has been sold for eight million dollars at auction house Christie's in New York, a world record for any Latin American artist.
“Dos desnudos en el bosque (La tierra misma)” is 30 by 25 centimeters wide and depicts a love scene between two women that appear to be in a dream, which was done as a gift for a close friend.
This is Kahlo’s first major work to be auctioned in six years, and was painted in 1939, 15 years before she died. The work was done during one of the most traumatic moments in Kahlo’s life, after an accident that left her stranded to a wheelchair.
“It depicts a strong, emotional pulse charged with a sense of longing and existential loneliness," according to Christie’s.
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The promotional video used by Christie’s describes the artist’s hometown and her characteristic “Blue House”, where she lived with her husband, famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. She also sheltered Russian revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky in 1937, with whom she had a romantic relationship for months.
The previous Latin American painting to be auctioned at a high price, was a work by another Mexican Rufino Tamayo, auctioned in 2008 for 7,2 million. Kahlo’s painting “Raices” raised 5,6 million in 2006.
Kahlo is often referred to as one of the most important artists of the 20th century.