German museum offered Picasso collection

Picasso: Works are now on loan to the Ludwig museum

The largest private collection of Picasso's art in the world has been offered to a museum in Cologne, Germany, by the widow of the art patron who collected them.

Irene Ludwig, widow of Peter Ludwig, plans to donate 774 pieces to a museum that bears her late husband's name.

It would mean the city's public Ludwig Museum would house one of the world's biggest collections of works by the legendary Spanish artist.

Picasso's Woman with Arms Folded sold for $55m last year

The collection is currently on loan to the museum, but the city's council will vote on Thursday on whether to accept the permanent donation.

Peter Ludwig was one of the world's biggest art collectors before his death in 1996, amassing more than 20,000 works.

In 1976, he donated more than 300 pieces to form the foundation for the museum.

He gave the city a number of world-famous Picassos in 1994 - but the gift caused controversy after he laid down the condition that the city must spend millions of marks on a new building to accommodate the collection.

'Influential'

The paintings donated at that time included Woman with Artichoke, from 1941, and Harlequin from 1923.

The collection now being offered by Irene Ludwig includes 49 unique works, 29 ceramics, 37 works in paper, 15 relief plates and 681 graphic prints.

World leaders met at the Ludwig Museum in 1999

Picasso is widely considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century.

A collector paid a record-breaking $55m (£38.5m) for one of his paintings, Woman with Arms Folded, in November 2000.

In 1999, world leaders met at the Ludwig Museum when Cologne hosted the G8 summit.

Peter Ludwig made his fortune after building up his wife's family chocolate business, Ludwig Schokolade, after World War II.

Works ranging from Greek artefacts to modern art were in his private collection.