Auction house experts in Paris have revealed a previously hidden Pablo Picasso masterpiece depicting Dora Maar that disappeared from public view 80 years ago, with the wartime painting now set to command millions at an October sale that promises to reshape understanding of the artist’s most turbulent romantic period, The Guardian reported.
The artwork, titled “Bust of a Woman in a Flowery Hat (Dora Maar),” was completed near the conclusion of the pair’s stormy nine-year romance and depicts Maar with gentler, more vibrant tones compared to earlier portraits Picasso created of his lover.
The newly revealed painting shows Maar’s fragmented visage rendered in brilliant colors without traditional perspective, appearing distressed and near tears, created during the period when Maar discovered that 61-year-old Picasso planned to abandon her for 21-year-old artist Françoise Gilot.
The completion of the portrait occurred in July 1943, with limited exhibitions held beyond his Paris studio on Rue des Grands Augustins. It remained in private ownership since its purchase in August 1944, during Paris’ liberation month.
People stand outside the Nazi-curated travelling exhibition, ‘Degenerate Art,’ (Entartete Kunst), at its second stop after Munich at the Haus der Kunst in Berlin February 4, 1938 (Photo: Reuters/Ullstein Bild)
Nazi forces controlling Paris during World War II classified Picasso’s creations as “degenerate,” resulting in studio raids and exhibition ban threats against his artistic output.
Documentation of its existence came through a black-and-white photograph captured before the sale and included in an art publication, while the current seller, who inherited the work from an unnamed French collector grandparent, has chosen anonymity.
Numerous paintings of Maar were created by Picasso, including his renowned “Portrait of Dora Maar” and “Dora Maar au Chat,” though she commented about these works: “All of his portraits of me are lies. They’re all Picassos. Not one is Dora Maar.”
Their initial meeting occurred in late 1935 while she captured promotional photographs for Jean Renoir’s movie “The Crime of Monsieur Lange,” during which period Picasso maintained his existing relationship with Marie-Thérèse Walter, mother of his daughter Maya, throughout his involvement with Maar.
Maar’s masochistic nature captivated Picasso, leading him to frequently portray her as a suffering individual, typically weeping, as seen in “La Femme qui pleure” (Weeping Woman), which art historians believe he created to symbolize Spanish civil war anguish while also reflecting his reported mistreatment of Maar and their violent confrontations.
Spanish painter Pablo Picasso in his villa ‘La Californie’ at Cannes, on September 29, 1955. (Photo: George Stroud/Express/Getty Images)
Maar, who passed away in Paris in 1997 at the age of 89, earned recognition as both Picasso’s inspiration and model, beyond their romantic connection, establishing herself as an accomplished surrealist photographer whose techniques significantly influenced his artistic development throughout their partnership.
Lucien Paris auction house has conservatively appraised the 80cm x 60cm oil painting at approximately €8 million ($6.9 million), while anticipating substantially higher final bids. The auction house maintained secrecy about the artwork’s existence until Thursday’s media presentation.
Auctioneer Christophe Lucien described the find as monumentally significant, characterizing the piece as a masterpiece and an exceptional demonstration of how Picasso’s creativity provided essential illumination during the occupation’s darkness, noting that while experts knew of its existence through photographs, the work’s true colors remained unseen until now.
“It is not only a milestone in the history of art but also in the private life of Picasso,” Lucien stated, adding, “It is a refreshing portrait of Dora Maar; exceptional and full of emotion. Discovering it is a big moment in our lives as experts.”
The painting will be auctioned by Lucien Paris on October 24, with public display scheduled for three days preceding the sale.
