A previously unknown portrait by Pablo Picasso of one of his lovers was revealed on Thursday after being put up for sale at auction in Paris with a reserve price of eight million euros ($9.5 million).
Entitled Bust of a Woman With a Flowery Hat, it depicts Dora Maar, a French photographer, painter and poet who was Picasso’s best-known muse.
Painted with oil, the colorful work measuring 80 x 60 centimeters (31 x 24 inches) “is valued at around eight million euros, a reserve price that could soar,” according to Christophe Lucien at Parisian auction house Drouot.
It was painted by Picasso on July 11, 1943, and acquired in August 1944 by a private French collector who is the grandfather of the current anonymous owners.
Agnes Sevestre-Barbe, a Picasso specialist, said the newly unveiled painting was “unknown to the public and never exhibited” except in Picasso’s Paris studio during World War II. She called it “exceptional,” marking a milestone in art history and Picasso’s career.
The work portrays Dora Maar with a melancholic yet harmonious expression, painted as Picasso began leaving her for Françoise Gilot. Maar, his muse and collaborator on “Guernica,” inspired about 60 of his works, including “The Weeping Woman.” Their turbulent nine-year relationship, which began in 1936, ended in depression for Maar—one of several women deeply affected by Picasso’s affairs.
Bust of a Woman With a Flowery Hat is being sold as part of an inheritance settlement. Olivier Picasso, the artist’s grandson, said its cheerful colors were unusual for 1943, a dark year for his grandfather. He added that such portraits of Maar are rare, especially being sold in France.
Picasso sales are seen as indicators of the art market, which has slowed. His works brought in $223 million in 2024, down from $597 million the previous year. Maar portraits have fetched far higher prices, including Dora Maar With Cat at $95 million in 2006. The record for a Picasso remains The Women of Algiers (Version O), sold for $179.4 million in 2015. AFP
