Pablo Picasso’s Femme au béret et à la robe quadrillée (Marie-Thérèse Walter) surfaced on the market for the first time ever. The painting debuted as a star attraction at Sotheby’s London’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale in February.

While the painting definitely celebrates Picasso’s signature Cubist style and portrait skills, it also hides a rather scandalous back story. The oil-on-canvas artwork features Picasso’s ‘golden muse’ and mistress of over 15 years, Marie-Thérèse Walter. However, it clearly lacks the soft brightness so prominent in other Walter-inspired works such as Le Rêve. Instead, there are angular lines and an ominous darkness lurking in the background. It is a perfect example of art imitating life. When Picasso painted this piece in 1937, he was on the cusp of leaving Walter for his new lover, Dora Maar. 

While Picasso may have had trouble juggling his women, he has had no trouble selling their portraits. Sotheby’s London set the asking price for this particular artwork at a staggering HK$390 million.

Thomas Bompard, Head of Sotheby’s London’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale, said, “Of all of the artist’s styles and decades, this is the one that most epitomizes the legacy of Picasso as a portraitist of women.”

Photo credit: Sotheby’s