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Frida Kahlo's self-portrait up for auction this November; could fetch up to PhP 1.5B

By Racquel Quieta
Published September 23, 2021 4:50 PM PHT
Updated September 24, 2021 6:19 PM PHT

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frida kahlo painting


Find out more about the legendary Mexican artist's very personal and emotionally driven masterpiece 'Diego y yo.'

A self-portrait of the late legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is up for auction this November and auction house Sotheby's says its estimated price is more than $30 million (PhP 1.5 billion).

The 1949 painting by Frida titled Diego y yo (Diego and I) is set to beat the previous public auction record for her artworks in 2016, which was $8 miliion.

Frida is one of the most iconic female visual artists in history, whose popularity grew by leaps and bounds even in her short life of 47 years, and whose influence has transcended generations.

The Mexican artist, whose complete name is Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon, is best known for artworks with strong autobiographical elements that combined realism with fantasy.

Some of the recurring themes in her masterpieces are chronic pain from an accident she experienced when she was younger, and her husband and fellow artist Diego Rivera, whom she had a tumultuous relationship with.

Aside from being disabled as a child because of polio, at the age of 18, Frida figured in a bus accident that left her with lifelong pain and medical problems.

Adding to her misery was the fact that Mexican muralist Diego was a philandering husband. He had numerous affairs throughout their marriage, including with models he painted, with famous art dealer and collector Heinz Berggruen, and even with Frida's sister, Cristina.

In her notebook, Frida once wrote: “I suffered two great accidents in my life, one in which a streetcar knocked me down … the other accident is Diego.”

A post shared by Sotheby's (@sothebys)

The artist couple divorced briefly in 1939 and remarried in 1940, and the two allegedly continued having extramarital affairs until Frida's death in 1954.

Five years before she died, Frida did the Diego y yo bust self-portrait, which shows a tearful Kahlo with an image of Diego on her forehead, just right above her signature unibrow.

Frida's hair also appears to be strangling her and Diego has a third eye on his forehead, which reportedly symbolizes Diego's wisdom.

Despite their tempestuous marriage, Frida revered Diego and admired his vision and work as an artist. She even referred to him as “The Master.”

Sotheby's also reveals that Diego y yo alludes to Diego's affair with Mexican actress Maria Felix, whom he painted a sensual portrait of in 1949.

Once sold, Frida's Diego y yo will become the most valuable Latin American artwork to be ever sold publicly, beating the current record held by a painting of her husband Diego.

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Did you know that Salma Hayek portrayed Frida Kahlo in her biopic film Frida in 2002? See the other Hollywood celebrities who starred in biopics in the gallery below.