BOSSES at Edinburgh Airport have been forced to rethink a decision to cover up a poster of a naked woman advertising an exhibition of Picasso artworks.

Management had covered the image of the Spanish master's Nude Woman in a Red Armchair with a sheet after some passengers travelling through the international departure lounge complained.

The print – publicising the Picasso and Modern British Art exhibition which opened last week at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – was later removed from view. The airport then asked for another work from the exhibition, which runs until November 4, to be used as an alternative.

However last night, after the gallery described the complaints as bizarre, airport chiefs put the print back on display.

A spokesman said: "The initial decision was a reaction to passenger feedback, which we do always take seriously. However, on reflection, we are more than happy to display the image in the terminal and we'd like to apologise – particularly to the exhibition organisers – for the confusion.

"We hope the interest assists in further promoting the Picasso and Modern British Art exhibition to the many visitors to Edinburgh at the moment."

Edinburgh Airport could not confirm how many passengers had complained about the artwork.

John Leighton, director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: "It is obviously bizarre that all kinds of images of women in various states of dress and undress can be used in contemporary advertising without comment, but somehow a painted nude by one of the world's most famous artists is found to be disturbing and has to be removed.

"I hope the public will come and see the real thing, which is a joyous and affectionate portrait of one of Picasso's favourite models, an image that has been shown around the world."

The exhibition, organised by Tate Britain, explores Picasso's connections with Britain and other artists' responses to his work. It features more than 150 artworks from public and private collections, including 60 paintings by Picasso and work by British artists Duncan Grant, Wyndham Lewis, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore and Francis Bacon.

l A portrait by French painter Edouard Manet has been saved for the nation after an eight-month campaign raised almost £8 million to buy it.

The oil painting, Portrait Of Mademoiselle Claus, was sold to a foreign buyer last year for £28.35m. However, the Government put an export bar on it and under the terms of its sale it was made available to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford for just over one-quarter of its market value.