Rare painting of Frida Kahlo  in auction on May 26^th  sold for 1.178.500 US $

A Frida Kahlo painting “The Survivor” that has not been seen in public for more than 70 years will go on sale at Christie's.

The painting, of a pre-Hispanic idol entitled "Survivor," was sold in 1938 at a New York gallery.  Since then it has remained out of sight, its image unpublished, before submission this year for auction at Christie's Latin American art sale on May 26^th 2010.

"Survivor" is one of the few Kahlo paintings to focus on a pre-Columbian idol. It shows a standing warrior figure, mottled brown, with a white headdress. The idol stands on a field with an abandoned house on a ridge, set against a sky churning with blacks, blues, grays and yellows.

Art historian Salomon Grimberg says the warrior symbolizes Kahlo's resilience for surviving a tumultuous personal life. At the time, Kahlo was separated from her husband Diego Rivera, and waiting for a divorce, according to Christie's. A palm-sized painting, "Survivor" is set in ornate tin frame typical of religious votive paintings in Oaxaca, a southern state which is predominantly Indian.

Frida Kahlo’s paintings rarely come to market since many Kahlo works are in Mexico and by law, can't be exported. The last Kahlos sold at auction were two drawings in 2007.

The highest ever prize paid for Kahlo was $5.6 million in May 2006. Christie's estimated the price for "Survivor" to be between $100,000 and $150,000.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/7564884/Frida-Kahlo-painting-unseen-for-72-years-to-be-sold-at-auction.html

Tags: Survivor, Frida Kahlo painting