DOHA — Pablo Picasso’s "Child with a Dove" painting has reportedly been sold to the gas-rich state of Qatar for £50 million ($76 million), according to French press reports this week.



The artwork was created in 1901 and marked the start of Picasso’s Blue Period. It has been in Britain for almost 80 years and is now set to leave the country with a lack of necessary museum funds needed to keep the painting, according to a report in France’s Le Figaro on Friday.



This is not the first time Qatar has shown interest in classic artworks. In early 2012, Qatari royals paid $250 million for Paul Cezanne’s The Card Players painting, “making it the highest sum ever paid for an artwork,” according to a report by Arabian Business.



Mark Rothko’s White Centre (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) and Damien Hirst’s pill cabinet Lullaby Spring were also bought by Qatar previously, the news website reported. — Al Arabiya