Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art sale on the evening of May 3 will be the main event of the Spring season for those collectors seeking exceptional works by the best-known artists of the 20th century.

The star lot of the evening will be Pablo Picasso’s sumptuous Femmes lisant (Deux personnages), one of the coveted “Marie-Thérèse” pictures from the 1930s. This important painting leads the strong selection of works by Picasso that span the artist’s career, from the dramatic Blue period in 1901, through his rigorous neo-Classical period and the fantastical Surrealist era, to the heroic works of his final years. Among these prized pictures are the compelling Surrealist icon Femme, a dynamic mid-century portrait of Paloma and a monumental depiction of lovers that dates from the artist’s late career, all from the collection great San Francisco patron of the arts, Dodie Rosekrans.