HONG KONG.- Christie's announced that Pablo Picasso's Buste de femme will be a leading highlight of the Hong Kong 20th/21st Century Evening Sale on 26 September (estimate: HK$86,000,000 – 106,000,000 / US$11,000,000 – 14,000,000). Depicted wearing her signature hat and gazing directly with her renowned dark eyes is Dora Maar, the radical Surrealist artist and photographer, and Picasso's great muse and lover during the wartime years. Maar was a creative force in Picasso's life, inspiring many of the greatest, most daring portraits of the artist's prolific oeuvre, including his famous Weeping Woman, held in Tate, London. Presented after more than 25 years in private hands, Buste de femme is one of the largest and finest of Picasso's portraits of Dora Maar to come to auction in recent years.

Cristian Albu, Deputy Chairman, Head of 20th and 21st Century Art, Christie's Asia Pacific, commented: “We are honoured to present Buste de femme, a museum-quality masterpiece that exemplifies Picasso's most compelling depictions of Dora Maar—his muse, creative partner, and one of the most influential figures in his artistic evolution. With its dramatic tension, vivid contrasts, and bold fragmentation, the work captures the emotional and psychological depth that defines their complex relationship. Offered in Asia at a time of growing demand for Impressionist and modern art, and following the landmark Picasso exhibition at M+, Hong Kong, this sale marks a rare and culturally significant moment for collectors across the region.”

Hak Jun Lee, Vice President, Christie's Asia Pacific and Managing Director, Christie's Korea remarked: “It is a privilege for Christie's to be entrusted with Buste de femme. This important sale reflects how Picasso's work is seen across Asia, as well as in other regions. I look forward to convening collectors to experience this extraordinary masterpiece.”

During World War II, Picasso resided in his studio in Paris, painting his way through the atrocities that were occurring with unrelenting vigour, depicting the objects and people around him. His series of portraits of Dora Maar from the period are amongst the most powerful of his wartime work. Painted in March 1944, as the German Occupation of Paris entered its final weeks, Buste de femme suggests a complex moment of both anxiety and optimism. Maar is pictured in a wide-eyed yet magisterial pose, envisioned in striking black, white, vivid red and green, and sporting her iconic headwear — a playful quality that often distinguishes her from Picasso's other subjects. Similar works are held in the collections of some of the world's most prominent institutions, including the Tate, London and The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.