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A 1940 self-portrait El sueño (La cama) [The Dream (The Bed)] by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo sold for over $54.7 million at Sotheby’s in November 2025, setting a world record for the most expensive artwork by a female artist sold at auction. Kahlo is celebrated for her vibrant, deeply personal, and symbolic self-portraits that explore themes of identity, pain, postcolonialism, and gender, blending realism with fantasy inspired by Mexican folk art and indigenous culture. Overcoming lifelong physical suffering from childhood polio and a devastating bus accident, her art served as an autobiography, documenting her turbulent life and fierce individuality, making her a global icon for resilience and artistic expression.
William H. Fredlund, the Director of the Institute, obtained his B.A. and M.A. from UCLA, where he specialized in European history and art history. He studied in Italy on a Fulbright Fellowship and completed a double Ph.D. in history and humanities at Stanford, specializing in Renaissance Italy. Dr. Fredlund has taught for UCLA, the University of Florence, Stanford, and UCSC Extension.
