A cubist Harlequin painting by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso will by auctioned Nov. 3 and is expected to bring more than $31 million Cdn.

Arlequin will be seen by the public for the first time in more than 45 years when it goes on view at Sotheby's in London, England, on Oct. 3, the auction house said in a press release Friday.

Arlequin, the 1909 cubist painting by Pablo Picasso

One of the most important of Picasso's works, the painting has been put up for auction by the estate of the late surreal artist Enrico Donati, who died earlier this year at age 99.

According to Donati's handwritten notes, he bought the work in the 1940s for the equivalient of $12,400 Cdn.

"Major works by Picasso don't often come to market," Emmanuel Di-Donna, Sotheby's vice-chairman, impressionist and modern art, told Agence France-Press.

Painted in shades of jade, rose and amber, the portrait dates from 1909, which was a prolific period for the artist.

The Harlequin figure, with its checkered suit and collar ruffle, was a frequent motif in Picasso's work, and is viewed by art critics as the artist's alter ego.