Abu Dhabi - Paintings and sculptures of Pablo Picasso, featuring a great breadth of the works of the 20th Century artist, will be shown in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi this summer - first of its kind in the Middle East, organizers said Tuesday.

The show, "Picasso Abu Dhabi, Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris" will run from May 27 to September 4 and span all periods and styles in Picasso's career with a total of 183 works.

Paintings, sculptures and works on paper will be the subject of international touring exhibitions drawn from holdings of the Musee National Picasso, Paris, with Abu Dhabi being its second venue after the Madrid debut.

The main exhibition organizer, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), said the show was the first of its kind in the Middle East.

"We appreciate the fact that Abu Dhabi will be the second destination on the exhibition's international tour, coming only after the great Reina Sofia museum in Madrid," said Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon al-Nahyan, chairman of ADTA.

Among the art in the show are masterpieces, such as Picasso's Blue Period Self Portrait of 1901 and Portrait of the Young Painter, made months before his death.

Exclusive to Abu Dhabi will be the showing of 40 drawings, prints and illuminated manuscripts that reveal Picasso's writing of a calligraphic poetry bordering between text and image. (dpa)