In the footsteps of Frida: women and diversity in the world of art

In May, the sale of a surrealist painting by Leonora Carrington fetched $28.5m, setting a new auction record for the British-born artist who spent most of her adult life in Mexico City. This milestone places her in the top five most valuable women artists at auction, alongside Louise Bourgeois, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Joan Mitchell.

Les Distractions de Dagobert, estimated at $12m to $18m, sold after 10 minutes of bidding to Argentinian developer and businessman Eduardo F Costantini, the founder of the Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires. As he headed for the exit, Costantini said: “This is a superb piece in the history of Surrealism…I was the underbidder 30 years ago for this picture, and I didn’t want to miss it this time.”

What made the sale even more striking is that the artist’s previous auction high of $3.3m occurred just two years ago at Sotheby’s, demonstrating how much demand for women artists has increased. Indeed, according to a report by…