OREANDA-NEWS. A number of the works that Pablo Picasso accumulated in his own studio throughout his life can be viewed from today in Santiago de Chile in the exhibition "Picasso: Erudite Hand, Wild Eye". The show reaches Chile after being successfully staged in São Paulo and Río de Janeiro in partnership with Abertis.

The works, which can be viewed until the 5th March in the cultural centre beneath the La Moneda Palace, the seat of the President of the Chilean government, are from the Picasso Museum in Paris. The exhibition was inaugurated yesterday by the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, at a ceremony also attended by the Minister of Culture, Ernesto Ottone; the mayor of Santiago de Chile, Felipe Alessandri; the CEO of Abertis Chile, Luis Miguel de Pablo; and Abertis' Director of Institutional Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility, Sergi Loughney.

The 135 original works by the Spanish artist are exhibited in chronological order and include 35 medium- and large-scale paintings, 41 drawings, 20 sculptures, 20 engravings and 19 photographs which span the various stages in his prolific career.

The exhibition also covers Picasso's relationship with the landmark events of the 20th century, with a particular focus on the creation process for "Guernica" and the artists reluctance to continue working in a Paris occupied by Germans.

This is why a number of the photographs taken by the French artist Dora Maar of the creation process for "Guernica" and the black and white painting "Weeping Woman", which represents the pain caused by the atrocities of war, have also travelled to Chile.

Abertis' and the Abertis Foundation's commitment to culture

Abertis, via the Abertis Foundation and its subsidiaries, has sponsored a number of important cultural exhibitions in recent years. These include the  major Dalí retrospective, which broke visitor records in the cities where it was shown (namely Paris, Madrid, Río de Janeiro and São Paulo). This was the first Salvador Dalí retrospective to make the journey to Latin America and the most visited in the artist's history.

In 2015, Abertis, via its French subsidiary Sanef, was the lead sponsor of the retrospective of the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez at the Grand Palais de Paris which became the cultural event of the year with an average of 5000 visitors daily. Also in 2015, the Group brought the work of Joan Miró to the cities of São Paulo and Florianópolis, an exhibition that broke records in the latter city in the state of Santa Caterina.