By Sarah Rainsford BBC News, Istanbul

Picasso show opens in Istanbul Enlarge Image

Turkey oozes culture, but the country has rarely played host to a major western artist.

Now Picasso is in Istanbul, for the first time ever.

The new exhibition is at the city's Sakip Sabanci Museum - a modern gallery nestling in landscaped gardens overlooking the Bosphorus.

The project was the dream of the late millionaire entrepreneur Sakip Sabanci himself. It has been realised by his niece Guler - who says the show is all about proving Turkey's credentials.

"If we can meet the standards to exhibit Picasso, that puts us alongside world-class museums. It shows they trust us," she explains. "And of course, Picasso is the symbol of modernism. We wanted to bring him here because we believe that Turkey is part of the West and a part of that modernism."

It is certainly an impressive debut as a host.

Picasso's journey

The curators have gathered 135 exhibits. They are displayed chronologically, from some of Picasso's first paintings as a boy through to pieces he selected himself for his final exhibition, which opened a month after his death in 1973.

In Istanbul, for this grand opening, Picasso's friend and biographer John Richardson revealed that the artist was constantly amazed at his own creativity, and felt the need to explore his gift. The many stages of that journey of discovery are now displayed in Turkey.

I think the Turkish people have a real advantage that they can approach the work fresh, without any preconceived ideas Marilyn McCully Curator

"I think it's an amazing range of works," says lead curator and Picasso expert Marilyn McCully.

"It's not an exhibition where you only see the masterpieces, the things you are familiar with. It's an exhibition where you can discover Picasso and see how he worked."

Not that the masterpieces have been neglected.

The ground-breaking Les Demoiselles D'Avignon is represented by an enormous tapestry of the work, commissioned by Picasso and very rarely seen. Together with a second tapestry, Femmes a leur Toilette, it adds a touch of Turkish flavour.

Dozens of other rare works are on loan from the Picasso family collection including ceramics, sculptures and sketches. Most come from his grandson Bernard.

In pictures: Picasso in Turkey

Educational role

Turkey has long been a major lender of its own art and artefacts to the West, mainly from the era of the Ottoman Empire. This event aims to reverse the trend.

But it is also about introducing Turks to modern Western art. The museum aims to educate, as well as entertain.

"When people come to the exhibition we will give them an audio guide. It is compulsory, so they can appreciate it better," Guler Sabanci explains.

As preview visitors wander the halls, glued to those mandatory headsets, Marilyn McCully says she envies many Turks their first encounter with Picasso.

"I think the Turkish people have a real advantage that they can approach the work fresh, without any preconceived ideas," the curator explains.

"The works have been chosen to encourage that. The first ones are not that difficult but they show Picasso very early on - extending the limits of how we see and how he saw."

Hungry for art

As Turkey looks to Europe politically, the art world is looking to bridge the cultural divide as well.

"This exhibition sets a standard that I am sure the Turkish public will demand on everything from now on," says Guler Sabanci.

She says the museum has been flooded with phone calls enquiring after tickets - an early sign the Picasso show will spark an appetite for Western art.

This exhibition runs until March. The museum already has plans for a follow-up show devoted to Auguste Rodin - with sculptures on loan from his museum in Paris.