A previously unknown portrait by Pablo Picasso of his renowned muse and lover, Dora Maar, was unveiled on Thursday in Paris ahead of its auction debut, with a reserve price set at €8 million ($9.5 million).
Titled “Bust of a Woman with a Flowery Hat,” the vibrant oil painting measures 80 x 60 centimeters (31 x 24 inches) and portrays Maar with a melancholic yet composed expression, adorned in a colorful floral hat. The painting dates to July 11, 1943, a period marked by personal and artistic upheaval in Picasso’s life.
According to auctioneer Christophe Lucien of the Parisian auction house Drouot, the work is expected to attract significant interest and may fetch well above its starting estimate.
The portrait had remained hidden from public view for over 80 years. It was acquired in August 1944 by a French collector, the grandfather of the current sellers, and has never been exhibited outside of Picasso’s own Paris studio.
“It’s quite exceptional and marks a milestone in both the history of art and that of Picasso,” said Agnès Sevestre-Barbe, a Picasso specialist who was present at the unveiling. “It has been completely unknown to the public.”
Dora Maar: Muse and artist
Dora Maar, a French photographer, painter, and poet, was Picasso’s most iconic muse and model. Their tumultuous nine-year relationship, which began in 1936 and was conducted almost entirely in Spanish, had a profound impact on Picasso’s work and creativity.
Maar was the subject of over 60 works, including the famous “Weeping Woman” series, and played a critical role in the development of his anti-war masterpiece “Guernica”—photographing its stages and influencing its form.
Other notable portrayals of Maar include “Portrait of Dora Maar” and “Bust of a Woman”, both considered among Picasso’s finest Cubist explorations of the female form.
The newly revealed painting captures a poignant moment in their relationship. At the time of its creation, Picasso was drifting away from Maar and becoming involved with a younger artist, Françoise Gilot. The eventual breakup sent Maar into a deep depression, further cementing her tragic place in Picasso’s romantic and artistic legacy.
A glimpse into the art market
The sellers are parting with the painting as part of an inheritance settlement, according to auctioneer Lucien.
Picasso works continue to serve as a key indicator of the global art market’s health. In 2024, total sales of his works reached $223 million, a steep drop from $597 million the previous year, according to market data from Artprice.
Despite this decline, high-profile sales persist. In May 2025, “Homme Assis,” a 1969 portrait of a seated musketeer, sold for $15.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York. The current record for a Picasso work remains “Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O),” which fetched $179.4 million at Christie’s in 2015.
Meanwhile, recent exhibitions—such as the 2019 joint show at the Pompidou Centre in Paris and Tate Modern in London—have aimed to bring renewed attention to Dora Maar’s own creative legacy, lifting her from the shadow of Picasso’s towering fame.
