תרגול אנסין – חלק ב – אנסין 9

A long-lost painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) resurfaced in 2019 and was sold at Sotheby’s New York for $3.2 million. The 1943 self-portrait, titled The Wounded Deer, depicted Kahlo with the body of a stag and arrows piercing her flesh. The piece, purchased by a private collector after an intense bidding session, became one of the highest-priced Latin American works ever sold at auction.

Kahlo, whose deeply personal style merged surrealism with Mexican folk traditions, is regarded as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Often painting from her bed while enduring chronic pain, Kahlo transformed her suffering into vivid, symbolic imagery. The Wounded Deer is considered one of her most striking representations of resilience and vulnerability.

Over the decades, the painting was thought to have disappeared, with only photographic reproductions circulating in art books and exhibitions. These images helped establish the work as an emblem of endurance and inner struggle. Yet, for nearly half a century, the original canvas was believed to be irretrievably lost.

Then, in 2019, a retired art dealer in Mexico City contacted Sotheby’s about a painting stored in his family’s collection. Passed down for generations, it had been hanging in obscurity in a private residence. Experts who examined the piece confirmed its authenticity, citing Kahlo’s distinctive brushwork and pigment choices. For historians, the rediscovery was monumental—both a cultural milestone and a rare opportunity to reconnect with Kahlo’s artistic vision.