A Picasso painting owned by the late Sir Sean Connery is expected to fetch £15million at auction to help Scottish charities.

The James Bond star's family is selling the work, Buste d'homme dans un cadre, after his request a philanthropic trust be set up in his name after his death.

The Sean Connery Philanthropic Fund will donate money to good causes in Scotland as well as the Bahamas where the Edinburgh-born actor lived with his wife, Micheline, for more than 30 years.

He bought the 1969 painting a few years before his death following a battle with dementia, aged 90, in October 2020.

It will be sold at Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art Sale in Hong Kong on May 26.

Sir Sean's stepson Stephane Connery, an art adviser, said that the star had an 'extraordinary sense of aesthetics'.

'He loved and owned numerous works by Picasso and, upon seeing Buste d'homme dans un cadre, was captivated by its expressive power and freedom,' he said. 'It seems fitting that this work would be sold in Asia as Sean had a tremendous affinity for Asia and its culture.'

He added: 'Before Sean passed away he allocated a sizeable portion of his estate to be used for philanthropic purposes.

'We – his family – are now working to create a fund that will offer support to organisations that reflect Sean's interests and passions, and serve to keep his legacy of integrity, opportunity and effectiveness alive.'

Describing the artwork, the co-chairman of impressionist and modern art at Christie's, Adrien Meyer, said: 'Appearing at auction for the first time, this is simply one of the best works by the artist of his late period to ever come to market.'

In February, Sir Sean's family announced they had donated $1million to the charity Race Against Dementia, which will fund a pilot scheme at Edinburgh University to help tackle the devastating condition.