Two Picasso muses, estimated at $20 M., to lead Christie’s London auction

Still the most widely demanded artist across the world, Pablo Picasso is known for his depictions of several era-defining muses. Two women who feature most frequently in Picasso’s prolific output, representing a critical periods in the painter’s tumultuous private life, were his first mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter and his second and final wife, Jaqueline Roque.

Two paintings from the same private collection completed three decades apart, one depicting Walter and the other Roque—both tragic figures who died by suicide— will come to auction during Christie’s live-stream London-based 20th century art evening sale on March 23. Together, the two works, Femme nue couchée au collier (Marie-Thérèse), 1932, and Femme assise dans un fauteuil noir (Jacqueline), 1962, are expected to fetch a collective price between £15 million-£24 million ($20 million-$33 million). Each will be offered without guarantees, ARTnews reports..

Still the most widely demanded artist across the world, Pablo Picasso is known for his depictions of several era-defining muses. Two women who feature most frequently in Picasso’s prolific output, representing a critical periods in the painter’s tumultuous private life, were his first mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter and his second and final wife, Jaqueline Roque.

Two paintings from the same private collection completed three decades apart, one depicting Walter and the other Roque—both tragic figures who died by suicide— will come to auction during Christie’s live-stream London-based 20th century art evening sale on March 23. Together, the two works, Femme nue couchée au collier (Marie-Thérèse), 1932, and Femme assise dans un fauteuil noir (Jacqueline), 1962, are expected to fetch a collective price between £15 million-£24 million ($20 million-$33 million). Each will be offered without guarantees.