A Pablo Picasso masterpiece, titled "Femme a la montre", expected to fetch at least USD 120 million at auction, is unveiled in Dubai, kicking off a set of rare viewings outside the United States.

The 1932 portrait of Marie-Therese Walter, Picasso's "golden muse" will be sold in November as part of a two-day auction of late New Yorker Emily Fisher Landau's prestigious collection.

The Head of Impressionist & Modern Art in New York for Sotheby's, Julian Dawes, said: "The market for Picasso is one of the most truly global of any artist. He is a worldwide phenomenon. So, in the past, we've seen bidding from literally every continent, every major city, but we have seen I think year to year between 2021 and 2022 - we saw over 100 percent increase in bidders and buyers across all of our departments from the Middle East."

"Our estimate for the work is in excess of USD 120 million. I think the keywords there are in excess. The world record at auction for Picasso, which was achieved in 2015, is USD 179 million. I think this has all the potential in the world to exceed that," she added.