The foundation deed of The Museo Picasso Malaga Foundation. The Paul, Christine and Bernard Ruiz Picasso Legacy was signed on Sunday 12th December, 2009, at 1.30pm, at a ceremony attended by the President of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio Griñán. Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, Pablo Picasso&rsquo";“s daughter-in-law and grandson, respectively, and Rosa Torres, the head of the Cultural Department of the Junta de Andalucía, were accompanied at this important event in the Museum&rsquo”;"s history by representatives of the Junta de Andalucía and by patrons and sponsors of the Museo Picasso Malaga. José Antonio Griñán, President of the Junta de Andalucía, and Christine Ruiz-Picasso are, from now on, the Honorary Presidents of the new Museo Picasso Málaga Foundation. The Paul, Christine and Bernard Ruiz Picasso Legacy.

The full merger between the Museo Picasso Malaga Foundation and the Paul, Christine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Foundation, to form the new Museo Picasso Málaga Foundation. The Paul, Christine and Bernard Ruiz Picasso Legacy, establishes that the new foundation will take on all the assets and liabilities of the two former foundations, and that it subrogates to all their rights and obligations.

The signing of the merger enhances Museo Picasso Malaga&rsquo";"s role as a centre for cultural and social outreach, expanding on the idea of it being a depository for artworks and a research centre for specialists. The Museo Picasso Malaga can now be seen as a place where people go not only to enjoy its art holdings, but also to take part in learning activities and benefit from cultural services.

THE BEGINNING This merger is the culmination of a process which began back in the 1950s, when the Malaga Provincial Delegate for Fine Arts at the time, Juan Temboury, spoke and met with Pablo Picasso to discuss the idea of the artist&rsquo";“s work being given a permanent home in Malaga, the city where he was born on 25th October, 1881. Paul Ruiz-Picasso, the artist&rsquo”;“s eldest son, also took part in these discussions. In the 1990s, Paul&rsquo”;"s widow, Christine Ruiz-Picasso, and their son, Bernard Ruiz Picasso, once again pursued the project for creating a museum devoted to Picasso. They were firmly supported in this by the Junta de Andalucía.

The shared wishes of Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso and the Junta de Andalucía led to the creation of two foundations, which were set up with the aim of a future merger in mind. The Paul, Christina and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Foundation owned a major collection of artworks, while the Museo Picasso Malaga Foundation would provide a suitable museum infrastructure.

Museo Picasso Málaga finally opened its doors on 27th October, 2003. Its purpose was to ensure that the work of Pablo Picasso is conserved and disseminated, while it also undertook to enhance the city of Malaga, the artist&rsquo";"s birthplace and source of inspiration.

Six years on, the culmination of this creation process has been the final merging of the two foundations which had, until now, run the Museo Picasso Malaga. The new Museo Picasso Málaga Foundation. The Paul, Christine and Bernard Ruiz Picasso Legacy thus encompasses the goals achieved so far, has full control of the art collection, and is the owner of the Palacio de Buenavista, the temporary exhibition halls, the MPM Auditorium and all the various buildings which make up the Museo Picasso Malaga. Moreover, it makes it possible to continue to chart a cultural course which sees MPM as an effective communications tool that relates knowledge about its contents with visitors&rsquo";" personal experience.

THE OPERATION FOR THE EXPANSION AND CONSOLIDATION OF MUSEO PICASSO MALAGA, COINCIDING WITH THE MERGER. Like the merger itself, this operation, which was agreed upon by the two foundations that, until now, were governed by MPM and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, is part of a process that was designed several years ago by the Executive Council.

Based on the premise that, as a result of the generous donation made by Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, the Museo Picasso Malaga owns a major art collection, it was agreed that the Museum will have to evolve, increasing its art holdings over a period of time.

It was therefore decided that the right time to begin the expansion of the MPM collection would be when the two Foundations merged. One the one hand, the merger symbolizes the end of the museum&rsquo";“s set-up phase, six years after it first opened and with visitor numbers in excess of two million a year”;" on the other hand, it marks the beginning of the museum&rsquo";"s consolidation phase, with a single, private foundation run by an equal number of board members from both former foundations: the Museo Picasso Málaga Foundation. The Paul, Christine and Bernard Ruiz Picasso Legacy.

The increase in the collection&rsquo";“s art holdings will be based on three complementary options: donations, acquisitions and loans. Once again, this is made possible by the generosity and commitment of Christine, Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso towards Museo Picasso Málaga. A new donation, along with a major new acquisitions programme, will increase the MPM Collection&rsquo”;"s art holdings by 50%, rising from 155, to 233 owned works by Pablo Picasso.

In addition to this substantial increase in the museum&rsquo";“s art holdings, as from 2010 a 15-year contract with the Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Foundation (FABA) will make 43 major works by Pablo Picasso available to the museum on loan. These works would be impossible to purchase under normal market conditions. Alongside this, on 26th December 2007, the Junta de Andalucía&rsquo”;"s Governing Council agreed to authorize its Department of Culture to undertake the financing of MPM for a 15-year period, from 2009 to 2023.

At the beginning of this new phase, the new logo for the Paul, Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Legacy was also presented. Alongside those of the Museo Picasso Málaga and the Junta de Andalucía, it forms part of the new corporate image of the Museo Picasso Málaga Foundation. The Paul, Christine and Bernard Ruiz Picasso Legacy, reflecting the equal union of the two driving forces behind the consolidation of Museo Picasso Málaga.

In January 2010, the Operation for the Expansion and Consolidation of the MPM Collection will be presented to the public.

THE FIRST BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE &ldquo";“MUSEO PICASSO M&Aacute”;“LAGA FOUNDATION. THE PAUL, CHRISTINE AND BERNARD RUIZ PICASSO LEGACY&rdquo”;".

The President of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio Griñán, and Christine Ruiz-Picasso have been appointed Honorary Presidents of the new Foundation. The Head of the Department of Culture, Rosa Torres, chairs the new foundation&rsquo";"s Board of Trustees, which comprises 19 members. Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso and Juan Alfonso Martos are both Lifetime Trustees.

Christine Ruiz-Picasso is a Legatee-Trustee, while the First Vice-President is Lidia Sánchez Milán, General Secretary of Cultural Policy, and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso holds the position of Second Vice-President. The lawyer José M&ordf";" Rodríguez-Ponga has been appointed Secretary. The first Board of Trustees of the Museo Picasso Málaga Foundation. The Paul, Christine and Bernard Ruiz Picasso Legacy, is thus composed of the following members:

Lifetime Trustees:

• Christine Ruiz-Picasso
• Bernard Ruiz-Picasso
• Juan Alfonso Martos y Azlor de Aragón

Ex-officio Trustees:

• Rosa Torres Ruiz, as Head of the Department of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía
• Isabel Muñoz Durán, as Deputy Head of the Department of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía.
• Lidia Sánchez Milán, as General Secretary of Cultural Policy of the Department of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía.
• M&ordf";" Teresa García de Casasola Gómez, as Head of the Technical General Secretariat of the Department of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía.
• María Gámez Gámez, as Head of the Government Representation, Junta de Andalucía.
• Manuel Jesús García Martín, as Head of the Representation in Malaga of the Junta de Andalucía&rsquo";"s Department of Culture.

Other Trustees:

• Four temporary trustees, proposed by the three Lifetime Trustees:
• Almine Ruiz-Picasso
• Juan Gervás Sanz
• Pedro López Jiménez
• José Luis Yuste Grijalba
• One temporary trustee, proposed by the Presidency of the Foundation:
• Antonio Lozano Peña, Head of the Vice-Council of the Presidency, Junta de Andalucía.

Honorary Trustees:

• Emilio Cassinello Aubán
• Braulio Medel Cámara
• Luis &Aacute";"ngel Rojo Duque
• M&ordf";" Paz Temboury Villarejo
• Carlos Zurita Delgado

Finally, the Museo Picasso Málaga Executive Council will be chaired by Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, while M&ordf";" Teresa García de Casasola Gómez, Technical General Secretary of the Department of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía, has been appointed Secretary of the Executive Council, which is thus composed of the following members:

• Bernard Ruiz-Picasso
• Rosa Torres Ruiz
• Jose Luis Yuste
• Juan Gervás Sanz
• Lidia Sánchez Milán
• María Teresa García de Casasola Gómez