Jun 5, 2006, 16:23 GMT
Madrid - Spain's King Juan Carlos on Monday inaugurated a major exhibition marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) this year.
The exhibition titled 'Picasso, tradition and avant-garde' is the first one jointly staged by Madrid's two main art museums, the Prado and the Reina Sofia.
Launching celebrations of the October 25 anniversary, the exhibition displays some 100 works showing Picasso's evolution from his blue period to cubism, as well as his relationship with surrealism.
The Prado part of the exhibition contrasts Picasso's works with those of earlier masters who influenced him, such as Diego de Velazquez (1599-1660), whose Las Meninas is also on display.
The Reina Sofia part focuses on Picasso's huge anti-war canvas Guernica, which was returned to Spain from the United States after the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco 25 years ago.
Prado director Miguel Zugaza described the exhibition as a 'demanding retrospective of the most important artist of the 20th century.'
Some of the Picasso works on display have been borrowed from the United States and France.
The exhibition will be open to the public from Tuesday to September 3.
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