Christine Ruiz-Picasso, the daughter-in-law of Pablo Picasso and co-founder of the Museo Picasso Malaga (MPM), has died at the age of 97, the museum announced on Tuesday.

It said Ruiz-Picasso had died at home in Provence in southern France. She was the widow of Paul Ruiz-Picasso, Picasso's eldest son from his marriage to Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova.

"Pablo Picasso's dream to have a museum in the city of his birth was made reality in 2003 owing to the generosity and steadfast engagement of Christine Ruiz-Picasso," the museum statement said.

It added that the MPM's collection of more than 230 works had been made possible by the generous donation of Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, her son.

The MPM said her family, and in particular her son Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, president of the MPM's executive, had expressed their sorrow at her death.

The MPM was opened on Oct. 27, 2003, by Juan Carlos, the Spanish king at the time. It is now one of the most important cultural institutions in Andalusia, drawing around 800,000 visitors annually from all over the world.