Picasso etchings on sale at show

Picasso's Gongora Francoise is priced at £2,800

Visitors to a north Wales exhibition of works by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse have a chance to go home with some of the 20th Century art pieces.

The selling exhibition at Erddig Hall, near Wrexham, is offering lithographs and etchings. The 40 art works, some unsigned, range from £400 to £17,500.

The exhibition is comprised entirely of works by the two artists.

Last May, the National Trust-owned house exhibited photographs of rock and pop icons from the past 40 years.

Originals on display include Picasso's Gongora Francoise, an original etching with aquatint, inspired by the poetry of Luis de Gongora y Argote.

Matisse's work includes the etching "Tete de jeune femme a la chevelure dans le vent," created in 1946.

Carolyn Wiseman, who owns the gallery hosting the exhibition, said: "They were really very hard pieces to find but what we have got is the most wonderful series of etchings by Picasso."

Erin Robinson, visitor manager at Erddig Hall added: "The unsigned pictures are still authentic and done with the same care and in the same manner as the signed pictures.

"The only difference is that they would have been in an album of pictures and the artist would have signed the back of the album".

Ms Robinson added: "Both Picasso and Matisse adored printing and experimenting with different techniques.

"Some of the pictures are very unique and special - it's just that a few hundred copies of such albums would have been produced so they are not as rare as other works by these artists."

Six of the 40 pictures were sold on the first day of the exhibition.

The Picasso and Matisse exhibition runs until 17 May, from 1100-1600 BST.