Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Picasso's 'Bust of a Woman' sold for $31 million at a Paris auction, marking a significant event in art history.
By Ardee NAPOLITANO
PARIS (Reuters) -A painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, believed to be depicting his muse and partner Dora Maar, fetched 27 million euros ($31.49 million) at a Paris auction on Friday.
The work, titled "Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat (Dora Maar) 1943", was acquired by a French family in 1944 and remained in their private collection for decades until its heirs decided to sell it.
The sale price including fees was 32 million euros, a spokesperson for the Drouot auction house said. The buyer was in the auction room, but was not identified.
The canvas had never been shown to the public before the auction and the only proof of its existence had been a 1944 picture of the painting, art experts said.
"It's without a doubt the most moving work of Picasso that involved his muse, because he was about to leave her (Dora Maar) for (French painter) Francoise Gilot," auctioneer Christophe Lucien said.
"And through this portrait, we see a woman who holds back her tears. So it's lucky for an auctioneer to have a piece of art history before their own eyes."
Art expert Agnes Sevestre-Barbe said the heirs decided to offer the painting for sale as it could not be physically divided among them.
($1 = 0.8575 euros)
(Reporting by Ardee Napolitano and Inti Landauro, editing by Alessandro Parodi and Sharon Singleton)
An auction is a public sale in which goods or property are sold to the highest bidder. Auctions can be conducted in person or online and are commonly used for selling art, antiques, and collectibles.
A valuation is the process of determining the current worth of an asset or a company. This assessment can be based on various factors including market conditions, comparable sales, and income potential.
A private collection refers to a group of artworks or valuable items owned by an individual or family, typically not available for public viewing or sale until the owner decides to sell.
A muse is a person or an entity that inspires an artist to create. In art, muses are often depicted in works and can represent beauty, creativity, and emotional depth.
A canvas is a durable fabric, typically made from cotton or linen, used by artists as a surface for painting. It is stretched over a frame and primed to hold paint.
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