art194050% confidence

The Wounded Table (Frida Kahlo)

by Frida Kahlo

Reconstruction of The Wounded Table (Frida Kahlo)
AI-assisted reconstruction — confidence: 50%

Kahlo's largest painting, a monumental work depicting the artist seated at a long table flanked by a skeleton, a Judas figure, pre-Columbian idols, a deer, and her niece and nephew. Last exhibited in Warsaw in 1955 and subsequently lost.

Confidence Map

Each section of this reconstruction is graded by the strength of its supporting evidence. Hover over a section to learn why.

General Description

medium

Kahlo's largest painting, a monumental work depicting the artist seated at a long table flanked by a skeleton, a Judas figure, pre-Columbian idols, a deer, and her niece and nephew. Last exhibited in ...

Based on 3 cited source(s) and overall exhibit confidence of 50%.

Historical Context

high

The Wounded Table, measuring approximately 1.2 by 2.4 metres, was Kahlo's largest and most ambitious work. Painted in 1940 during her brief divorce from Diego Rivera, the work is a surrealist self-por...

Supported by multiple scholarly references.

Circumstances of Loss

medium

Last seen at a 1955 exhibition in Warsaw; its subsequent fate is unknown, possibly lost in Soviet storage or deliberately destroyed

Loss date is documented, lending credibility to the account.

High — direct evidenceMedium — reasonable inferenceSpeculative — limited evidence

The Story of Loss

Cause: Last seen at a 1955 exhibition in Warsaw; its subsequent fate is unknown, possibly lost in Soviet storage or deliberately destroyed

Circumstances: The painting was shipped from Mexico to Warsaw for a 1955 exhibition and was never returned. Soviet-era bureaucratic records make tracing its path difficult. Despite diplomatic inquiries and searches of Russian museum storage facilities, The Wounded Table has never been found.

Date of loss: c. 1955

Historical Context

The Wounded Table, measuring approximately 1.2 by 2.4 metres, was Kahlo's largest and most ambitious work. Painted in 1940 during her brief divorce from Diego Rivera, the work is a surrealist self-portrait depicting Kahlo at the centre of a long table surrounded by symbolic figures. The painting was sent to the Soviet Union in 1955 for an exhibition of Mexican art in Warsaw. After the exhibition, the work disappeared. Researchers have traced its path through various Soviet cultural institutions but have been unable to locate it. Some scholars believe it may be in a Russian museum warehouse, miscatalogued or forgotten. Others fear it was damaged and discarded. As Kahlo's auction prices have reached over $30 million, the painting — if it survives — would be among the most valuable lost artworks in the world.

Reconstruction Methodology

This exhibit's reconstruction was generated using AI analysis of historical records, scholarly references, and contextual evidence from the 1940 period. Each section of the reconstruction is tagged with a confidence level reflecting the strength of the underlying evidence.

Vestige reconstructions are scholarly tools, not definitive claims. They represent our best understanding given available evidence and are always presented with transparent methodology.

Cited Sources

  1. 1

    Frida Kahlo: The Paintings

    Hayden Herrera (1991)

  2. 2

    Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo

    Hayden Herrera (1983)

  3. 3

    The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait

    Frida Kahlo (1995)