Picasso's striking portrait of his lover, Dora Maar, will star in Sotheby's modern evening auction in Hong Kong. The sale will be complemented by a similarly broad and strong offering of contemporary art in an evening auction on the same day. Dora Maar is expected to sell for more than HK$138 million / $17.6 million in the spring sales series in Hong Kong, alongside a strong selection of works from the current period - by artists such as Chen Yifei, Wu Guanzhong, Chu Teh-Chun, and Zao Wou-Ki - in the Modern Evening Auction on April 27. On the same day, a similarly wide and strong range of Contemporary Art will be offered in an evening sale, led by Louise Bourgeois' (nearly) seven-foot Spider IV – the artist's first Spider to go under the hammer in Asia.

The love story between Dora Maar and Picasso is one of the most turbulent in 20th-century art history. Their affair was a partnership of intellectual exchange as well as of intense passion, and her influence on the artist resulted in some of the most daring and renowned portraits of his career.

Picasso met Maar, the Surrealist photographer, in early 1936, and was immediately enchanted by her intellect and beauty, and by her commanding presence. Although their relationship was tumultuous at times, they remained together until 1941. This portrait of Maar is considered one of Picasso's most striking portraits and is sure to fetch a high price at auction.