“Surrealist women artists are currently in vogue among collectors, and Kahlo is among a small handful of superstar artists with a seemingly bulletproof brand — think Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Gustav Klimt.” NPR, Art & Design
Two Surrealist artists made history in 2025! Both incredible artist ~ Frida Kahlo, painter & Lee Miller, photographer.
In November, 2025, NPR wrote a terrific article about the sale of Kahlo’s painting. “A Frida Kahlo painting broke records at auction on Thursday” it described the painting that was sold and how it compares to other artists of the Surrealists Art Movement.
Frida Kahlo’s “El Sueno (La Cama)” painted in 1940 sold in November 2025 for $54.7 million. The previous female record-holder was Georgia O’Keeffe selling most recently in 2014 for $44.4 million dollars.
If you have read my other posts you know I mentioned both of these great women artists! Discussing their work and relationships with their partners. If you haven’t read my other posts check them out. I have been fortunate enough to visit three exhibitions of Frida Kahlo’s in the last few years – at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida; at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia and at my local gallery at the North Carolina Museum of Art, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her work and her life story deserves all the notoriety it acquires.
It is an honor to write a follow up about Kahlo making headlines with the sale of her work. #shatteringtheglasscanvas. Unfortunately, it comes after they have died and are unable to see this monumental achievement.
It seems like that is how it works in the art world for both men & women. The achievement and notoriety arrives after they have died. For women it has taken a lot longer to start achieving & selling.
The exhibition was of a woman artist who is gaining some much deserved traction and museum wall space lately Lee Miller, an American photographer. She has been one of my favorites since the late 90’s when I studied her work in an art class.
During my Christmas Holiday in Europe I was lucky enough to travel from the Netherlands to London to visit her exhibition at the Tate Britain.
This exhibit was my favorite of 2025 because Miller was so prolific and seeing her works in person rather than on a page of a book was breathtaking. The exhibition was well curated and artfully designed. I should mention curated by two women; Hilary Floe, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and Saskia Flower, Assistant Curator at Tate Britain.
Miller was born in 1907 and died in 1977. She started as fashion model for Vogue then carved out a career as a photographer and editor for Vogue, and fought the establishment to cover World Ware II as a war correspondent. Miller was one of the only women to document the war. Her lens as a female gave insight into how women were contributing to the war efforts.
Her work was cutting edge, she famously took photos of herself in Hitler’s bathtub, and brought attention to female aircraft pilots, nurses, and those going into combat. She captured what others couldn’t at the time; especially as a woman. Miller was so brave to forge ahead with her own work and career while highlighting the other brave women doing other brave work during the war.
“Lee Miller was a true renaissance woman. In her 70 years, she lived many lives in many countries practicing many professions. She was a Vogue model, muse to Pablo Picasso and Roland Penrose, director of her own photo studio, journalist, photographer, and gourmet cook. Of her many lives, none was more exciting and devastating than her work as a US war correspondent during World War II.” National WWII Museum
If you are interested in learning more about her unique career check out a few of the resources below:
- Smithsonian – early history
- Lee Miller Archives -her work other resources
- Katy Hessel – Podcast
- National World War II Museum – War time/Journalism
- Aperture Magazine (great article about Miller & Surrealism)
Lee Miller had a full career and carved out a path for herself in photography with the help of some friends. One in particular Man Ray who who took photos of her at first because she started as a model. Then they became partners behind the camera exploring and experimenting together.
In the exhibition at Tate Britain there were some other photographs of her artist friends taken by Miller. One of my other favorite artists Joseph Cornell who she photographed along with; others included Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, and Jean Cocteau. She spent many years in Paris becoming one of the great women artists/photographers of the Surrealists movement.
Because she surrounded herself with many men and most of whom were Surrealists artists themselves it might not be a stretch to see why and how Miller found herself a pioneer in that movement. Her creativity and use of the nude female model, body parts (like the breast recently removed due to mastectomy), and the way in which she used reflections were all ahead of their time. She changed the way photographs are seen and taken.
My favorite photograph of hers is “Portrait of Space” which she took in Egypt, 1937. This photograph is of the desert taken through a ripped screen. Her work is thoughtful, creative, and pushed the boundaries of what had been done before by any photographer; not just a woman artist.
“She often used juxtaposition, combining two elements in the same picture to create contrast, and developed the technique of “solarisation” (the partial reversal of black and whites that creates a halo effect) with Ray.” Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, on Lee Miller.
I love hearing more about women artists working together with other artists to build a community and create new processes.
I feel so lucky to be able to travel to museum’s across the globe to see these exhibitions that inspire me to write, work, and create. I love learning more about the artist’s I have studied before and the real treat is getting to see their work in person as well as seeing them get credit, press, and the light they deserve.
The more people talking, showing, and sharing these wonderfully creative people and especially the women who help to make the artist landscape richer the better our world is.
The more we can support each other, love each other, and create more beautiful art, stories, and connections the better our world will be.
How can we be brave right now?
What can you do to highlight another woman?
What do you feel passionate about?
Who do you look up to?
How can we continue to make a difference?
Who are some of the women in your life that helped you be you, be creative, or love harder?
Go visit some art, Travel to a place you haven’t been, Talk to Strangers, Support each other!!!
Until next on @glasscanvas!
See you soon – M.E
#lovewins #heartsonwalks #heartmailstudios #raleigh
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