The first of a series of uncommon international viewings of a Pablo Picasso masterpiece, which is anticipated to sell for at least $120 million at auction, opened for viewing on Monday in Dubai.
The exhibition of “Femme à la montre,” a painting of Picasso’s mistress and “golden muse” Marie-Therese Walter painted in 1932, is a boost for the United Arab Emirates’ efforts to position itself as a global cultural powerhouse. It will be on display for two days before traveling to Hong Kong and London.
In a statement, Sotheby’s Dubai noted that the viewing was “the first time a painting of this calibre by the world-renowned artist has ever been exhibited in the UAE” and that it was also the first time the portrait has been exhibited outside of the United States in 50 years.
According to UAE Culture Minister Sheikh Salem bin Khalid al-Qassimi, “the UAE has earned the status of being a global art destination, which receives a further boost as this rare Picasso is unveiled here.”
The famed collection of late New Yorker Emily Fisher Landau will be auctioned off over two days in November, and “Femme a la montre” will be included in that sale.
Picasso and Walter met in Paris in 1927 when Walter was 17 years old and the Spaniard was still married to Russian-Ukrainian ballet dancer Olga Khokhlova.
The painting “Femme assise pres d’une fenetre (Marie-Therese)” by Walter, whose daughter with Picasso passed away last year, was auctioned by Christie’s in 2021 for $103.4 million.
“Of all artists, Picasso has one of the most truly international markets. He is a global sensation, according to Julian Dawes, Sotheby’s head of impressionist and modern art.
“We saw over 100% increase in bidders and buyers across all of our departments from the Middle East between 2021 and 2022,” Dawes continued.
A dynamic and inventive genius, Picasso is still regarded as one of the most important artists of the modern era 50 years after his death in 1973 at the age of 91.
But following the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault, allegations that he used violence against the women who were a part of his life and served as the inspiration for his art have damaged his reputation.
