Picasso nudes go before public

From simple pen-and-ink drawings of nude women to a colorful and elaborate felt pen-and-ink drawing of two men ogling a nude woman, a sketchbook that was filled in a week reveals the obsessive nature of a mature Pablo Picasso at work.

The 26 works from a 1970 album of drawings and watercolors are on public display for the first time ever, offering an intimate look into the art and thoughts of Picasso, less than three years before his death at age 91.

“Picasso: The Berggruen Album,” opened Monday at Mitchell-Innes & Nash gallery in New York City, in cooperation with John Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco, and runs through June 26. The full book from the collection of art dealer Heinz Berggruen was carefully unbound for framing, and will be reassembled for sale at $3.5 million.

From Associated Press