The Musée Picasso, which has been closed for more than four years while undergoing a renovation and expansion, will not reopen to the public until at least mid-September, an official from the Culture Ministry said here on Monday.

The reopening has been pushed back several times since the 52 million euro or or roughly $72 million project began.

Renovations to the museum’s main building have been delayed and the technical building, which houses a crucial climate control system, is still awaiting completion, said the official, who would not give his name because he is not authorized to speak on the record about this subject. The Picasso museum is under the stewardship of the French government so the official opening date is determined by the Culture Ministry.

“We don’t open a museum if we aren’t sure about the climate control; it is fundamental,” the official said. “All this is very common. It happened for many other museums.”

The Musée Picasso was initially scheduled to open in June, and the changes in opening dates have drawn frustration from many, including from Mr. Picasso’s son, Claude Picasso, who told Le Figaro newspaper last week that he was “scandalized and very worried” about the future of the museum. “I have the impression that France doesn’t care about my father, and about me either.”

Articles in French newspapers have also cited security concerns by the ministry as the reason for the delay and noted that the museum’s controversial director, Anne Baldassari, has had a difficult relationship with the ministry, which has reportedly been upset about the repeated delays in the renovation.

But the official from the ministry played down the controversy, arguing that the museum was expected to draw huge crowds of visitors and that the change of date in its opening was minor compared to the “fundamental stake which is that the museum will be a success, and that the public will be happy,” he said.

The museum houses one of the world’s largest collections of works by the artist.

> via NYT