The Sicilian city of Palermo is paying tribute to Pablo Picasso with an exhibition featuring a range of his work, including many private pieces rarely displayed.
The Fantastic World of Picasso features 66 works, many of which sketches and drawings, which hint at the turbulent private life of the Spanish artist.
A 1951 ink portrait shows Genevieve Laporte, a young journalist sent by Le Monde to interview the artist. The pair embarked on a love affair even though Picasso, 50 years her senior, had just had his second child with long-term lover Francoise Gilot.
An ink portrait from 1948 depicts Gilot herself, reportedly the only woman ever to leave Picasso, tired of his infidelities and abuse.
Another woman Picasso painted repeatedly was Eugenia Errazuriz, an older society beauty whom the artist adored and who became his patron and close friend.
In the Palermo exhibit, she is immortalized in a sketch of 1920, with the inscription ''at her feet''.
Picasso's friendship with Paul Gauguin is recognized in a 1903 pencil sketch entitled Homage to Gauguin and signed ''Paul Picasso'' in tribute to the recently deceased older artist.
The exhibition contains an unusually high number of private loans, rarely displayed in public, such as Les Dames de Mougins. This 1955 charcoal and chalk sketch was completed as the frontispiece for the book ''Les dames de Mougins''.
However, it also boasts a number of famous works, such as Girl With A Boat from 1939, a bright Cubist work showing the subject from the front and side at the same time.
Another renowned creation is his 1966 Dove of Peace, which later became a universal symbol for peace and tolerance.
Picasso was fascinated by doves, which were the focus of several works during his career. In addition to the blue pastel sketch, there are two white terracotta sculptures of doves on display in Palermo.
A number of works delve into the artist's flirtation with mythology, such as a beautiful, classic watercolour from 1905 entitled Venus And Cupid.
The exhibition is on display in the Duca di Montalto Hall in Palazzo dei Normanni until March 8, 2009. Photo: Picasso and Gilot
