A Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition of works by Pablo Picasso drew more than 700,000 visitors over a 17-week period.

That makes it the most highly attended show at the New York museum since an exhibit of Impressionist art in 2001.

The exhibit, which ran April 19 to Aug. 15, focused exclusively on works by Picasso taken from the museum's own collection.

Pablo Picasso's 1905-6 oil painting Gertrude Stein which was part of the exhibit that closed Sunday. (Metropolitan Museum of Art/Associated Press) When it ended this past Sunday, 703,256 people had seen the show. Attendance for Picasso averaged 6,700 visitors per day, and frequently reached 10,000 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Among the works were Picasso's iconic portrait of Gertrude Stein from 1906, his self-portrait At the Lapin Agile and a portrait of his mistress, Dora Maar in an Armchair, from 1939. The museum displayed more than 300 works, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics.

"The heartening attendance at Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a testament not only to the enduring popularity of this iconic artist, but to the richness and depth of the museum's holdings of his works," Thomas P. Campbell, the museum's director, said in a statement.