Dog found hidden in Picasso painting

Restorers at the Guggenheim Museum in New York discovered a small dog in the painting "Moulin de la Galette" by Pablo Picasso. For some reason, the animal was painted over, so no one noticed it before.

The image of a charming lap dog with a red bow was revealed by museum experts during the technical analysis of the painting on the eve of the exhibition of Picasso's early works.

The Moulin de la Galette depicts a lively stage in the famous Parisian dance hall, which was also painted by many other artists, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Picasso's painting depicts dancing couples and three figures at a table in the foreground.

The fourth guest at the table is hidden under a layer of dark paint. It was possible to reveal its original appearance using X-ray fluorescence, an imaging technique that displays the chemical elements in the picture, including pigments.

The museum noted that the dog is very similar to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. According to Julie Barten, senior Guggenheim art restorer, Picasso may have hidden the dog, finding its face and "beckoning bow" too distracting.

In the original performance without the dog, viewers can take a closer look at all these other wonderful figures in the composition - experience the space in different ways, the expert added.

Changing paintings later became part of Picasso's regular practice, Barten said, adding that the Moulin de la Galette is now considered one of the earliest examples of this.

The new exhibition "Young Picasso in Paris", which opened on Friday at the Guggenheim Museum, includes 10 paintings and drawings, painted by the artist upon his arrival in the French capital in 1900.