"Picasso and the Allure of Language," a new exhibit at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, opened Thursday.

The exhibit covers Picasso's career from 1900 to 1969. It shows 60 works, including some of Picasso's poetry.

"We're looking at him through the lens of language, the mysteries of language, his relationship with writers, Picasso's own interest in writing," said Sarah Schroth, a senior curator at the Nasher Museum of Art.

Picasso wrote more than 300 poems, Schroth said.

The exhibit focuses on how writers, including Gertrude Stein, influenced his work.

"There are writers throughout his life that he is involved with and in a way you can say he is in a dialogue with in his art," said Patricia Leighten, professor of art history at Duke University. "It kind of takes away the notion of Picasso as an ivory tower artist only interested in his own visual games and puts him in a more historical context where he is involved with people in other media."

"It's just such a treat that we have this right in town," said Maggie Chotas of Durham. "And to see his pencil drawings and some of the paintings up close, it was just fabulous."

The exhibit will be at the Nasher Museum of Art until January 3.

Click here to visit the museum's website.