Pablo Picasso, Guernica

Pablo Picasso, a Spanish artist, created a sizable oil painting on canvas titled Guernica in 1937. It is one of his most well-known pieces and is hailed by many art critics as the most stirring and potent anti-war artwork ever created. It is on display in Madrid's Museo Reina Sofia. The painting, which is 7.76 meters (25 ft 6 in) wide and 3.49 meters (11 ft 5) tall, depicts the misery brought on by violence and disorder. A gored horse, a bull, screaming ladies, a dead baby, a severed soldier, and flames are prominent elements in the composition.

Picasso created Guernica in response to the bombing of Guernica on April 26, 1937, which took place in the Basque Country of northern Spain at the behest of the Spanish Nationalists. Guernica was destroyed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. When it was finished, Guernica was displayed at the Spanish booth at the 1937 Paris International Exposition before moving on to other locations across the globe. Funds for the Spanish war effort were raised through the traveling exhibition. The picture quickly rose to fame and received high praise, which helped draw attention to the Spanish Civil War on a global scale.

After Franco's death in 1975, Picasso lent the artwork to MoMA with the understanding that it would be returned to his native Spain once democracy had been restored. This was accomplished in 1981. (Picasso himself died two years before that.) The painting is now kept in Madrid's Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.

Artist: Pablo Picasso

Created: 1937