A Picasso painting unseen for over 80 years, *Buste de femme au chapeau à fleurs (Dora Maar)* (1943), will be auctioned at the Drouot salesroom in Paris on 24 October by Lucien Paris auction house. The work, depicting the artist's lover and muse Dora Maar, has been held in a private French collection since 1944 and carries an estimate of €8 million. The auction catalogue includes an authentication certificate from the Comité Picasso and notes the painting was documented in *Cahiers d’art* and photographed by Brassaï.
This sale matters because it brings to light a major Picasso canvas that has never been exhibited or auctioned, offering fresh insight into the artist's wartime output. The work also refocuses attention on Dora Maar, whose own artistic career has been overshadowed by her relationship with Picasso, especially following a 2019 Centre Pompidou survey that helped restore her reputation.