Christie’s official $40–60 million estimate for Pablo Picasso’s 1969 grisaille canvas *Le Baiser*, consigned from Jeff Koons’s personal collection, anchors trader expectations around the $50–60 million band. The late-period work’s intimate depiction of lovers, tied to Picasso’s muse Jacqueline Roque, carries strong exhibition provenance and aligns with sustained collector interest in his final decade. Koons acquired the painting at Sotheby’s in 2008 for $17.4 million, and its placement as the headline lot in the November 17 “Heroes and Lovers” evening sale adds single-owner prestige that historically lifts results. With the auction just days away, momentum centers on whether blue-chip demand pushes the final price—including buyer’s premium—toward or above the upper end of the estimate.