After 80 years in obscurity, Picasso's work heads to historic auction for $9 million

An oil painting by Pablo Picasso, hidden for more than 80 years, will go up for auction in Paris next month.

The 81 x 60 centimeter painting is expected to go up for auction on October 24, with the price potentially reaching up to $9.45 million.

The portrait, “Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat,” features French photographer and painter Dora Maar, one of Picasso’s most famous lovers and muses, wearing a bright flowered hat composed of pastel green, blue, and yellow stripes.

Although the painting is characterized by vibrant colors, the expression with which it was painted has been described by experts as disturbing.

Made in July 1943, during the Nazi occupation of Paris, the work is considered a "a canvas of great historical and artistic importance, all the more so since it has remained out of the public eye for more than 80 years", according to art expert Agnès Sevestre-Barbé.

"It was in May 1943 that Picasso met the young painter Françoise Gilot, who, after the war, would bring a clearer and brighter spirit to his work. But in the summer of 1943, Dora remained his main model."", said the expert in an essay published online by the Lucien Paris auction house, which will also sell the painting.

The newly discovered portrait of Maar was purchased in 1944 by an unidentified collector and has remained in the possession of his family ever since."As far as we know, it has never been exhibited nor has it appeared at auction.", added Barbé. /Tch