One hundred and sixty-one prints by Picasso have arrived in the Chinese capital and will be put on a two-month show in the modern arts hall of the China Centenary Altar beginning on December 13.

It will be the largest Picasso's painting exhibition that Beijing has ever held, said Shi Jingsheng, an official with the Beijing Gehua Culture Development Group.

All the prints belong to a private collector in France, Shi said, adding that they were borrowed by a French museum for an exhibition tour in China.

The prints were drawn by the great artist during the period of 1942-68, when he was living in France.

The exhibition is jointly sponsored by the group, the French museum and the altar.

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2001)