Hidden Picasso Portrait of Dora Maar Sells for $37 Million After 80 Years in Private Collection

The painting was auctioned at the Drouot auction house in Paris.

Paris:

A vibrant Picasso portrait of his longtime muse and partner Dora Maar, concealed from public view for over eight decades, fetched 32 million euros (approximately $37 million) including fees at auction on Friday. The sale exceeded expectations though remained considerably below the artist's highest-priced works ever auctioned.

Created in July 1943, "Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat (Dora Maar)" portrays Maar wearing a colorfully decorated floral hat. Maar, herself an accomplished artist and photographer, had been Picasso's companion and inspiration for roughly seven years, with their relationship approaching a painful conclusion. Acquired in 1944, the artwork had not been available on the market since then, remaining within the family collection.

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The painting, part of Picasso's "Woman in a Hat" series, was sold at Paris's Drouot auction house. Auctioneer Christophe Lucien described the final sale, to an in-person bidder, as "an enormous success" and a deeply emotional moment. He noted that the price - 32,012,397 euros after adding buyer's premium to the 27-million hammer price - not only substantially surpassed estimates but also represented the highest auction price for any artwork in France this year.

Lucien characterized the painting as "a little piece of the story of love" - albeit bittersweet - between Picasso and Maar. She was 29 when meeting the artist and swiftly became his muse, modeling for "Guernica" among other significant works. Picasso later left her for the younger Francoise Gilot, and Maar lived increasingly as a recluse until her death at 89.

Their relationship "was not a very simple story," Lucien remarked, adding that this painting emerged during its conclusion. "You see that she was containing tears because she understood that Picasso was leaving her."

During a preview event this week, Picasso specialist Agnès Sevestre-Barbé emphasized the portrait's remarkable preservation of vivid colors.

"We have a painting that is exactly as it was when it left the studio," she explained. "It wasn't varnished, which means we have all its raw material, all of it. It's a painting where you can feel all the colors, the entire chromatic range."

"It's a painting that speaks for itself," she continued. "You just have to look at it - it's full of expression, and you can see all of Picasso's genius."

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Sevestre-Barbé previously noted that the work had only been seen in a black-and-white photograph. "We couldn't imagine from this photo that this painting was so colorful, so amazing, really."

Before the auction, Lucien indicated that the work had generated global interest.

"It's being talked about in all the world capitals with a strong art market, from the United States to Asia, and of course through all the major European markets," he said.

Despite exceeding pre-sale expectations, the work sold for considerably less than Picasso's most valuable auction pieces. In 2023, the artist's renowned "Femme à la montre" ("Woman with a Watch") - depicting another muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter - commanded $139.4 million, becoming the second most valuable Picasso sold at auction. The highest price remains $179.4 million, paid in 2015 for a version of "Les Femmes d'Alger" ("Women of Algiers").