Art lover Connerys Picasso tipped to raise €18 million for charities close to his heart

A Picasso painting owned by Sean Connery is expected to fetch £15million (€18million) at auction, with the proceeds going to causes close to the actor’s heart.

he late James Bond Star’s family sold Buste d’Homme Dans un Cadre after requesting that a philanthropic foundation be established in his name after his death.

The Sean Connery Philanthropic Fund donates to charities in Scotland and the Bahamas, where the star lived with his wife Micheline for more than 30 years. He died in October 2020 at the age of 90 after a battle with dementia.

Connery began his collection in the 1980s with works by Irish painter John Lavery and bought the Picasso artwork few years before his death.

The 1969 painting will be auctioned at Christie’s Hong Kong auction house on May 26 and has been estimated at £15 million. It has been hailed as one of Picasso’s finest Musketeer portraits.

Stephane Connery, the star’s stepson and art consultant, narrated The Sunday Post: “There was nothing he owned that he did not admire. He had a Matisse and numerous Picassos, one of which he sold in the early 2000s.”

His family said the proceeds will help Scottish organizations working in areas close to his heart, including sport and marine conservation.

“We – his family – are now working to create a fund that will support organizations that reflect Sean’s interests and passions and serve to keep his legacy of integrity, opportunity and effectiveness alive,” said Stephane.

“This effort will be focused on Scotland, where Sean was born, and the Bahamas, where he lived for more than 30 years and where he adored his homeland.”

Stephane said the Edinburgh-born actor’s marriage to Micheline Roquebrune, an internationally exhibited painter, in 1975 “enhanced his extraordinary artistic appreciation”.

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