A hidden painting was revealed beneath the surface by x-ray images and infra-red scans, showing a portrait of a bearded man.

This was an important period in his life when he moved to Paris from Barcelona and showed his paintings at his first solo exhibition at the Vollard Gallery in 1901.

He also experienced the loss of his close friend, the Spanish poet Carles Casagemas, who committed suicide by shooting himself in the head at a dinner party.

Picasso felt the loss of his friend deeply and this tragic event is considered to have been a major influence on his artwork which became dominated by sombre blue and green hues.

Several pictures can be seen hanging on the walls of the apartment, including a seascape, reflecting Picasso's growing number of canvases and general disorder in real life.

[1] Since the 1950s, there had been speculation that the painting had something hidden beneath its surface after a conservator at The Philips Collection noticed inconsistencies in the brushwork.

When infra-red scans were carried out on the painting in 2008, a portrait of a bearded man wearing a bow tie was revealed beneath the surface.

Although he was a prolific artist in his youth, his melancholy blue paintings of poor people did not create much interest from buyers.

[7] Patricia Favero, associate conservator at The Phillips Collection, remarked, "This painting 'The Blue Room' is very important in (Picasso's) early work.