A 1932 masterpiece by Pablo Picasso titled "Woman with a Watch" achieved a landmark sale of $139 million at Sotheby's in New York, topping this year's art auction sales globally.
This piece became a highlight of the autumn art season in New York, a critical indicator of the market's health, and was auctioned off as part of a broader $400 million collection sale from the estate of the late benefactor Emily Fisher Landau. This sale positions the artwork as the second highest-priced Picasso ever auctioned, just after "The Women of Algiers (Version 'O')," which sold $179.3 million at Christie's in 2015.
The painting depicts Marie-Thérèse Walter, Picasso's muse and secret lover, in regal repose with a watch, echoing similar motifs he used when portraying his wife, Olga Khokhlova. Walter, who was 17 when she met a 45-year-old Picasso, became the focus of several of his works, including "Femme nue couchée," auctioned for $67.5 million in 2022.
Created during a critical time for Picasso, "Woman with a Watch" represents his ambitious response to those who doubted his contemporary relevance. Fisher Landau acquired it in 1968 from Pace Gallery and it was prominently displayed in her Manhattan home. The painting eventually went to an undisclosed buyer after surpassing two other offers.
Jean Dubreil
