Etihad ships Picassos

Etihad Airways’ Cargo Division – Etihad Crystal Cargo – recently transported 186 Pablo Picasso masterpieces from Paris to Abu Dhabi.

The collection of works was flown over in a number of shipments from the Musee National Picasso, Paris, to Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, where the exhibition will run until September 4 in Gallery One.

Des Vertannes, Executive Vice President, Etihad Crystal Cargo, said, “Etihad Crystal Cargo regularly handles highly sensitive, perishable and fragile items but this collection of Picasso masterpieces has to be one of the most exciting ever and we are very proud to have played a pivotal part in bringing this historic exhibition to Abu Dhabi.”

The exhibition is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. It will feature paintings, sculptures and works on paper beginning with Picasso’s Blue Period Self-Portrait of 1901 and concluding with Portrait of the Young Painter (1972), made only months before his death. This is the first major exhibition of the artist’s works in the Middle East.