FRIDA KAHLo’S SELF-PORTRAIT: THE STORY BEHIND THE PAINTING.

Today we’re looking at images of Frida Kahlo’s Self-Portrait from 1933. This is a really rare painting that I acquired for a client at Christie’s New York for $8.6 million dollars. This painting is one of only 29 self-portraits outside of Mexico. The ones in Mexico have to stay there because of cultural patrimony laws.Of those 29, nine are owned by museums, so that means you’re only on the hunt for one of 20 paintings.

This painting was one of only two that she made in 1933. She was on a trip with Diego Rivera in New York while he was painting a fresco and so this is her experiment with the fresco style. When she was done with it, she actually chipped away some of the outside. Speculation is that she could have been frustrated with the medium, but also there are a lot of things going on in her personal life with Diego Rivera, and she wasn’t painting very much, so it’s a very fascinating example not only a look at her own image, but also into her inner psyche ... kind of what’s seen and unseen.

We’re headed into the November 2024 auction season in New York which has some of the best offerings of the year, so if you’d like to discuss acquiring any artworks, including the Frida Kahlo offerings contact me.