A portrait by Pablo Picasso, showing his muse and lover Dora Maar, has sold for a staggering €32 million.
The artwork, unseen for more than eighty years, went under the hammer in Paris and smashed all expectations.
If I were a millionaire would I spend that much on a picture? Absolutely not! I am the first to admit that I know very little about art. My walls are covered with family photos and the odd masterpiece from my daughter’s toddler years. So no, I am not exactly qualified in the world of fine art collecting but even if I was, €32 million to cover a patch of wall? No way!
A glimpse into Picasso’s complicated love life
The painting, Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat (Dora Maar), was completed in July 1943. Dora Maar, a talented photographer and artist herself, was Picasso’s muse for seven intense years. By the time this portrait was created, their relationship was nearing its end.
The piece was bought in 1944 and stayed hidden in one family’s private collection until now. When it finally appeared at the Drouot auction house, it caused quite a stir. Auctioneer Christophe Lucien described the sale as both a huge success and a moving moment.
The final amount, €32,012,397, including fees, made it the most expensive painting sold in France this year. Lucien called it “a small fragment of a love story”, though perhaps a bittersweet one. Dora Maar was 29 when she met Picasso and became his creative partner, muse, and frequent model. When he later moved on to Françoise Gilot, Dora retreated from public life and lived quietly until her death at 89.
A perfectly preserved piece of Picasso history
During the preview, Picasso specialist Agnès Sevestre-Barbé could not believe how well preserved the painting was. She said it looked just as it had when it left Picasso’s studio. Because it was never varnished, the colours remain raw and vibrant. Every tone is still alive on the canvas, which, for a work more than eighty years old, is quite something.
Until recently, experts only knew the painting from an old black-and-white photograph. Seeing it in full colour was a revelation. The piece quickly attracted attention from collectors across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
For context, this sale still falls well below Picasso’s record-breaking numbers. In 2023, his Femme à la montre sold for $139.4 million. His all-time high remains Les Femmes d’Alger at a cool $179.4 million in 2015.
Picasso? Not for me
Now, I understand some people buy art as an investment. Others simply fall in love with how it looks above the fireplace. But if you had €30 million spare, would you really spend it on a single painting? Personally, I might lean towards something more practical, a house or two, a big dollop to animal charities, perhaps an island, maybe even a lifetime supply of good Spanish wine.
Art may be priceless to some, but to the rest of us, €32 million could paint a very, very comfortable life instead.
