Frida Kahlo's rare painting fetches highest price ever paid for a Latin American artist

Frida Kahlo's rare painting has smashed the record of highest price ever paid for the work of a Latin American artist.

The artwork, auctioned in New York at Sotheby's, sold for a whopping $34.9 million.

The self-portrait of Kahlo entitled "Diego y yo" ("Diego and me," 1949) featured her husband and artist Diego Rivera.

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Oliver Barker, Sotheby's auctioneer, and senior director said, "This is one of the most important works by Kahlo ever to come to auction and we're thrilled that it should be at Sotheby's.''

Earlier, the record was held by Rivera himself, whose work "Los Rivales" (1931) sold for $9.76 million in 2018.

Kahlo, an iconic Mexican artist had previously sold a painting for $8 million in 2016.

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A feminist icon, Kahlo's intense and enigmatic gaze had made her famous around the world.

Kahlo, who spent long periods bed-ridden after a traffic accident in her youth, created some 200 paintings.

Her sketches and drawings, mainly self-portraits, transformed her misfortune into works of bold colour and emblematic strength.

(With inputs from agencies)