MORE than 180 ceramics and drawings by Picasso, kept in his studio in his lifetime and never before offered to the public, are to be sold by his granddaughter.

    Marina Picasso is to offer 70 ceramic and terracotta sculptures for sale at Sotheby’s, along with 106 works on paper said to provide a “master overview of Picasso’s career in its entirety.”

    Estimates for each item range from £4,000 (US$5,840) to £180,000, with the entire collection expected to sell for up to £9.8 million.

    Marina, 65, is the daughter of the artist’s eldest son Paulo and inherited around 10,000 pieces from his estate in 1975.

    Last week, Marina told the Wall Street Journal: “This is part of my history, so I want them to sell well, and prices right now are strong at auction.”

    Helena Newman, co-head of impressionist and modern art worldwide at the auction house, said, “This wonderful collection presents an intimate view of the artist in his moments of creation, as though we are standing at Picasso’s shoulder, able to observe his creative process as he reinvented himself as an artist over and over again.”

    They will be offered for sale in London on Feb. 5.(SD-Agencies)