BARCELONA.- The Museu Picasso in Barcelona has incorporated into its permanent collection three drawings and two illustrated books which were recently acquired at auction and from Spanish galleries.

The increase in the permanent collection is the result of a new acquisitions policy that forms part of the second phase of the museum´s expansion, that aims to situate it as an international reference in the study and investigation of the painter from Malaga and his works of art.

The city government has invested one million Euros with the acquisition of the drawings and the illustrated books, as well as with the purchase of part of the Sabartes Fund which was held by Pilar Solano.

One of the newly acquired works is "Bohemia madrileña (grupo de artistas)" (1901), which was bought at Sotheby´s for 254,000 Euros and according to museum director Josep Serra, "it fits perfectly in the chronological period in which the museum is a reference" and constitutes "a representative work of art from his stay in Madrid in 1901, from which the museum holds few drawings".

Almost 100,000 Euros has been the cost of the drawing "Variación de Las Meninas" , (Variation of the Meninas) dedicated to editor and graphic printer Louis Broder taking advantage of the cover of the book by Jaume Sabartés "Picasso: Les Ménines et la vie", a piece that represents a good complement to the "Las Meninas" series which Picasso gave to the museum in Barcelona.

To complete the new acquisitions there is "Miguel Utrillo y Santiago Rusiñol fumando en pipa" (1903), in which both artists appear as pregnant women in cartoon style. "La Célestine", by Fernando de Rojas, an Edition from 1971 with 66 etchings made by the artist from Malaga in 1968 and is an important title that was not in the museum´s collection.

Josep Serra has announced that in this second phase the object is that the Museu Picasso converts itself into “a motor of generation of knowledge and investigation with three points in particular: the collection, the figure of Picasso and his reception with an emphasis on his relation with Barcelona, and the genesis and history of the museum”. With this purpose, the museum has created a new archive, which will gather, conserve, organize and show private funds and collections.