The last time a Frida Kahlo painting sold, it broke records. At $8 million, the sale of Two Nudes in the Forest (The Land Itself) at a public auction made Kahlo Latin America’s best-selling artist. The next time one of her paintings goes on sale, it won’t break any records. But the owner will snatch up a special piece of history.
According to Fusion, Niña con Collar – a piece Frida began in 1929 – will go on sale on November 22 for the first time. For the past 60 years, the incomplete piece sat in a California home. But the owner, who’s now in her mid-90s, offered the piece up to Sotheby’s this summer.
Frida began painting Niña con Collar when she was 22, and it’s one of the first 20 works of art that she produced, VOA reports. It’s estimated to sell for $1.5 to $2 million, partly because the piece has held up so well. “The painting looks very fresh,” said Axel Stein, head of Latin American art at Sotheby’s. It was in a dark part of the house, so the colors are vibrant.” Kahlo pieces will also fetch a healthy sum because they are so rare. The Mexican government protects Kahlo’s paintings as cultural patrimony, and forbids exporting them. However, the longtime owner, who worked with Frida, received the piece from Rivera in the 50s. It belonged to Frida before that.