Five centuries of masterpieces to be revealed

Five hundred years of masterpieces including treasures by Michelangelo, Gainsborough and Picasso not seen in public for decades go on show in London today.

Christie's auction house is mounting the show from highlights of its forthcoming season of sales which will see more than £250 million worth of works on offer.

Lots always go on show before sales but this is a curated exhibition of about a hundred pieces by many of the most celebrated artists in art history, from Goya to Monet and Freud, which Christie's hopes will attract visitors with no intention of bidding.

They include a study of a male nude by Michelangelo relating to a prestigious but lost commission of The Battle of Cascina for a Florentine palace. It has been seen in public only once before.

Other highlights include a Pablo Picasso portrait of his lover Marie-Therès Walter which was last exhibited in 1941. A Sir Thomas Gainsborough portrait of Miss Read, granddaughter of the East End brewer, Sir Benjamin Truman, has not been seen since 1936.

A famous racing painting, Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, a Stable Lad and a Jockey by George Stubbs, is one of the most valuable Old Masters in the auctions with an estimate in excess of £20 million.

Among contemporary works is Big Baby, dating from 1996, which is the first documented work by Ron Mueck.

They are on show until Wednesday afternoon.