Frida Kahlo fever leaves Tate curators struggling to secure her paintings for blockbuster exhibition

Curators at the Tate Modern have faced an uphill battle in trying to secure paintings for a new Frida Kahlo exhibition, amid a surge in popularity for the late Mexican artist.

A new exhibition opening in June, titled Frida: The Making of an Icon, will display 36 works by the radical painter – notably fewer than the Tate Modern’s previous Kahlo exhibition, which, in 2005, showcased over 50 of her artworks.

Currently among the omissions is Kahlo’s self-portrait El sueño (La cama). Last November, the 1940 painting became the most expensive work by a female artist ever sold at auction, collecting a price of £41.8m.

The Tate is still attempting to acquire the painting for the exhibition, but curator Tobias Ostrander told The Times that the prospect was “unlikely”.

Pop icon Madonna is also said to have fended off the Tate’s attempts to borrow her Kahlo paintings. The “Like a Virgin” hitmaker reportedly owns five Kahlos, including My Birth and El venado herido, and had previously loaned out pieces for the 2005 show.

“In general the [36] works were very specifically chosen to address certain themes but you know, there are ones we have tried for that people won’t loan,” Mr Ostrander said. “Madonna is someone who did loan in 2005 but won’t loan now, for example.”

The new exhibition will, however, situate Kahlo’s work within a wider context of her influence, featuring works by more than 80 artists shaped by Kahlo. A section of the exhibition will focus on “Fridamania” and the rampant merchandising of the artist’s image.

Several of Kahlo’s most famous and celebrated paintings will be displayed, including Untitled (Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird) and Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress.

Kahlo, who lived from 1907 to 1954, enjoyed only moderate success during her lifetime, but has come in the decades since to be renowned as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century.

A 2002 biopic starring Salma Hayek, titled Frida, helped curry further interest in Kahlo’s life and work; the film focusing on Kahlo’s life, art, politics and tumultuous relationship with her husband, the artist Diego Rivera.

Madonna has spoken publicly about Kahlo on multiple occasions. In 1990, she told Vanity Fair: “If somebody doesn’t like this painting [My Birth], then I know they can’t be my friend.”