Five Picasso murals that survived Anders Behring Breivik's bombing of an Oslo government block in 2011 are now at the heart of a divisive debate in Norway on the buildings' fate.
The murals drawn by the Spanish master in the late 1950s and 1960s - The Beach, The Seagull, Satyr and Faun and two versions of The Fishermen - risk being removed from the location for which they were conceived if the damaged buildings are torn down.
The government is currently mulling whether to demolish the structures or repair them.
Picasso's artwork adorns the concrete interiors and exteriors of two of the government buildings erected in central Oslo in the post-war period.
The murals, four of which were drawn specifically for the buildings and are done in a childlike style with simple geometric figures, were reproduced by Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar who sandblasted them into the concrete.
They mark Picasso's first foray into concrete murals.
The so-called H block, a 17-storey tower that houses the prime minister's offices, is "an international treasure," said Norwegian Environment Minister Baard Vegar Solhjell, who is also tasked with cultural heritage issues.
"If it were demolished it would lead to an international debate," he told daily Dagsavisen.
Breivik kicked off his July 22, 2011 rampage that led to the deaths of 77 people by setting off a van bomb at the foot of H block. The blast killed eight people, ravaged the structure, and badly damaged several neighbouring ministries.
At the end of June, a panel of experts decided that the most economical solution would be to demolish four buildings in the government block, including H block and another ministerial building, Y Block - the two that feature the five Picasso works.
The art itself would not be demolished, but cut up and used elsewhere.
But given the fact the murals were designed with the original architecture in mind, art experts and media commentators are against such a move.
Citing the historical importance of H block, both architecturally, politically and artistically, the head of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage Joern Holme has called for it to be repaired.
"We can't demolish the best (parts) of a cultural era just because we find it ugly today," Holme said.
"That's not worthy of a cultural nation. Destroying the best thing that Norway did in a particular era of its history is contrary to all of our values," he added.
A severe-looking tower that is reminiscent, albeit on a smaller scale, of the UN headquarters in New York and designed by Norwegian architect Erling Viksjoe, H block never won over the hearts of all Norwegians.
A poll published in July in daily Verdens Gang showed that 39.5 per cent of people wanted to see it demolished while 34.3 per cent thought it should be kept.
