Pablo Picasso painted “Dora Maar au Chat” (Dora Maar with Cat) oil on canvas, measuring 50.5 inches × 37.5 inches, in 1941. It is one of the many portraits painted by the artist of Dora Maar who was her partner and model for nearly 10 years. The canvas has been considered as the most astonishing painting in terms of its finishing, colour selection, attention to detail and the symbolism used. It is also different from his other portraits as it shows Maar in a three-quarter length pose, sitting regally in a wooden chair with a small black cat on her shoulders threatening and amusing at the same time. Despite its simple subject, the painting was sold for $95,216,000 in 2007 to an unknown buyer making it the fourth most expensive painting by the artist.— M.I.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, August 2nd, 2015

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