RARE PICASSO SELF- PORTRAIT

MAY FETCH $ 70MN

Hong Kong: A rare Picasso believed to be a self- portrait created when he was under threat of deportation to a Nazi concentration camp is expected to fetch $ 70 million at auction, Christie’s said on Friday as the work went on view in Hong Kong. The oil painting Le Marin depicts a sad- looking man dressed in a blue and white striped sailor’s shirt sitting on a chair.

“You have ... A slightly dark sense around the picture. It’s nervous, it’s on edge and slightly gloomy,” said Conor Jordan, deputy chairman of impressionist and modern art at Christie’s.

The 130 by 81 centimetre vertical painting shows the man resting his head against his right hand, while his legs are crossed with his left hand on his knee.