PARIS: A previously unknown portrait by Pablo Picasso depicting one of his lovers was unveiled at a Paris auction house on Thursday.
The painting entitled “Bust of a woman with a flowery hat” portrays Dora Maar, a French photographer, painter and poet who served as Picasso’s most famous muse.
Created with oil, the colourful work measures 80 by 60 centimetres and carries an estimated value of approximately eight million euros.
Auctioneer Christophe Lucien from Parisian auction house Drouot noted this reserve price could potentially soar during the sale.
Picasso completed the painting on July 11, 1943, before it was acquired in August 1944 by a French collector who is the grandfather of the current owners.
Picasso specialist Agnes Sevestre-Barbe confirmed the work remained unknown to the public and had never been exhibited outside the Spanish master’s Paris studio during World War II.
Lucien explained the sellers are divesting the painting as part of an inheritance settlement among family members. – AFP
