'Unseen' Picasso drawing on show in Liverpool gallery

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-33521078

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An unseen drawing by Pablo Picasso has gone on public display in Liverpool for the first time.

The Spanish artist's Study for Temptation of St Anthony (1909) is part of a display at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, called Picasso on Paper.

The signed work, previously owned by British painter Lucian Freud, was gifted to National Museums Liverpool by Arts Council England.

The gallery said it was "a rare example of a religious theme by Picasso".

Xanthe Brooke, curator for National Museums Liverpool, said the drawing shows Picasso "toying with the early Cubist style he helped to create".

"Picasso is without doubt one of the most significant artists of the 20th Century and we're very grateful to Arts Council England for allocating the drawing to us."

She said it depicts the "sensual temptation" which St Anthony the Great is believed to have faced during his time in the Egyptian desert.

The drawing was created using ink and wash on paper, the gallery said.