Former Picasso home being opened to public

MARSEILLE, France, May 24 (UPI) -- The mayor of the French village of Vauvenargues says a chateau once used by famed Spanish painter Pablo Picasso is set to open to the general public.

Mayor Philippe Charrin said when the Vauvenargues chateau where Picasso resided from 1959 to 1961 opens to the public Monday, it will have to "adapt" to village conditions, The Sunday Times of London said.

"The Picasso chateau will have to adapt itself to the life of the village and not the other way round," Charrin said.

The chateau was abandoned by Picasso family members in 1973 following the Guernica artist's death. The Times said the home has remained undisturbed since then, allowing it to serve as a historic reminder of Picasso's life.

The British newspaper said Picasso's time in Vauvenargues was a particularly productive portion of his artistic career. Among the numerous works of art he created during his time in the southern France locale was Woman Seated in a Chair, a portrait of his second wife, Jacqueline, that sold for $6.7 million in 2006.