PARIS — A rare Pablo Picasso portrait of his muse Dora Maar, unseen by the public for more than 80 years, sold at auction in Paris for 32 million euros (about $37 million), exceeding expectations and marking the highest art sale in France this year.
Painted in July 1943, “Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat (Dora Maar)” captures Maar in vivid colors and a floral hat. The work was completed during the final months of their tumultuous relationship. Picasso and Maar, both artists, had been together for seven years before they split in the mid-1940s.
The painting was sold at the Drouot auction house to a buyer present in the room. Auctioneer Christophe Lucien described the event as “an enormous success” and “a very emotional moment,” noting that the 32,012,397-euro sale price included buyer fees on top of a 27-million-euro hammer price.
“This painting is a little piece of a love story,” Lucien said, reflecting on the emotional depth of the portrait. “You see that she was containing tears because she understood that Picasso was leaving her.”
The piece had remained in a private family collection since it was first purchased in 1944. Before the auction, Picasso expert Agnès Sevestre-Barbé highlighted the work’s remarkable condition.
“It’s exactly as it was when it left the studio,” she said. “It wasn’t varnished, so we can see the raw, vivid pigments — all of its chromatic power. The painting speaks for itself; it’s full of expression and pure Picasso genius.”
The portrait belongs to Picasso’s “Woman in a Hat” series and had previously only been seen through a black-and-white photograph. Sevestre-Barbé said viewers were astonished by its vibrant palette when it finally resurfaced.
Interest in the work spanned global art markets, with collectors from the United States, Asia, and Europe vying for it.
While the sale impressed collectors, it remains modest compared to Picasso’s record-breaking auctions. In 2023, his “Femme à la montre” (“Woman with a Watch”) sold for $139.4 million, and his “Les Femmes d’Alger” (“Women of Algiers”) fetched $179.4 million in 2015, still the most expensive Picasso ever sold.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
