16 Captivating Insights Into Picasso’s ‘Guernica’

While Pablo Picasso’s 1937 painting *Guernica* is widely celebrated as one of his greatest achievements, are you aware of the story and motivations behind this powerful anti-war statement?

1. The origins of *Guernica* trace back to a request from the Spanish government.

In preparation for the 1937 World’s Fair, Spain’s democratic leaders sought a mural for the Spanish Pavilion at Paris’s International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life. They aimed to highlight the brutalities committed by Generalissimo Francisco Franco and his supporters. Pablo Picasso, renowned for his pioneering Cubist works in the 1910s, was their top choice. After being convinced by poet Juan Larrea, Picasso accepted the commission in January but spent months producing only preliminary sketches.

2. By the time *Guernica* was commissioned, Picasso had not visited Spain for more than three years.

Since 1904, Picasso had been residing in France, making it convenient for him to contribute to the Paris exhibition. As an outspoken critic of Spain’s authoritarian regime, he created this homage to the devastated city of Guernica without having returned to his homeland since 1934. He would ultimately never step foot in Spain again.

3. The bombing portrayed in the painting was falsely attributed to their opponents by Franco’s forces.

Picasso’s artwork captures the aerial assault on the Basque town of Guernica on April 26, 1937. During the Spanish Civil War, Franco’s German and Italian allies launched a prolonged bombing campaign against Guernica, a key Republican stronghold opposing Franco’s Nationalists. Estimates of the death toll range from 200 to over 1000. Franco and his supporters falsely accused Republican forces of carrying out the atrocity.

4. An article in *The Times* played a key role in inspiring Picasso.

Painter José Maria Ucelay revealed that Picasso learned of the bombing from Larrea, who proposed it as the mural’s theme. Initially hesitant, Picasso was profoundly affected by a detailed account of the tragedy written by George Steer, a South African-British journalist, for *The Times*. The article, published under the title “The Tragedy of Guernica: A Town Destroyed in Air Attack: Eye-Witness’s Account,” was credited to “Our Special Correspondent.”

5. Picasso started the painting under significant time pressure.

Deeply moved by Steer’s account of Guernica, Picasso abandoned his initial mural concept and began crafting one of his first politically charged works on May 1, 1937, just three weeks before the exhibition’s opening. *Guernica* was finalized in early June, roughly two weeks after the pavilion’s debut.

6. At the same time, he created another piece criticizing Franco.

The speed at which Picasso produced what is now regarded as one of the 20th century’s most iconic paintings is remarkable, especially considering that *Guernica* wasn’t his only project during this period. Earlier in January 1937, he had released a series of etching and aquatint prints titled *The Dream and Lie of Franco*. By June 7, around the time he delivered *Guernica* to the Spanish pavilion, Picasso expanded the series with a second set of images.

7. An initial draft of *Guernica* conveyed a more uplifting message.

As expected, *Guernica* underwent significant changes from its early stages to completion. One of Picasso’s preliminary sketches featured a raised fist, a powerful symbol of resistance against oppression, which had been adopted by Franco’s opponents during the Spanish Civil War. Initially, the fist was empty, but later, it was shown clutching a bundle of grain. Ultimately, Picasso decided to remove the symbol entirely.

8. At one point, Picasso considered adding color to *Guernica*.

Though *Guernica* is celebrated for its monochromatic palette, Picasso briefly experimented with color during its creation. He introduced a red teardrop falling from a weeping woman’s eye and even incorporated patches of colored wallpaper. However, these elements were ultimately excluded from the final version.

9. Picasso avoided discussing the symbolic meaning behind the painting.

Experts have spent years analyzing the symbolism in *Guernica*, particularly the horse and bull. When questioned about their significance, Picasso remained elusive, stating, “This bull is a bull and this horse is a horse.” He further explained, “If you find meaning in certain elements of my work, it may hold truth, but it was not my intention to convey that meaning. The ideas you derive are ones I also arrived at, but instinctively and unconsciously. I create art for the sake of art. I paint objects as they are.”

10. Initial reactions to the painting were far from favorable.

While *Guernica* is now revered as one of Picasso’s greatest works, it initially faced harsh criticism. At its debut during the Exposition, an architect noted that visitors turned their backs on it, repelled by its imagery. Prominent critics like Clement Greenberg dismissed it as “jerky” and “compressed,” claiming it aimed for epic grandeur but ended up overly dramatic. Others, including French painter Edouard Pignon, philosopher Paul Nizan, and artist Walter Darby Bannard, also criticized it. Ucelay, who believed Larrea inspired Picasso, called it “one of the poorest things produced in the world” and “7 x 3 meters of pornography.” Even the Basque government reportedly disliked it, deeply disappointing Picasso. The painting received little media attention at the time.

11. Nazi Germany openly mocked *Guernica*.

Given *Guernica*’s antifascist themes and Hitler’s disdain for modern art, the German guidebook for the Paris International Exposition advised against viewing Picasso’s work, labeling it “a chaotic collection of body parts that a child could have painted.”

12. Decades later, Germany ironically used the painting in a military campaign.

Misinterpreting *Guernica*’s antiwar message, the German military featured it in a 1990 recruitment ad with the slogan, “Hostile images of the enemy are the fathers of war.”

13. The painting sparked a memorable exchange between Picasso and a Gestapo officer.

Known for his sharp wit as much as his artistic genius, Picasso once delivered a cutting response to a German Gestapo officer regarding *Guernica*’s portrayal of fascist brutality. When shown a photo of the painting and asked, “Did you do that?” Picasso reportedly replied, “No, you did.”

14. *Guernica* was relocated to New York during World War II.

Following the Paris Expo, *Guernica* toured Europe and then traveled to the United States to raise funds for Spanish refugees. It was exhibited in several major U.S. cities under the care of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. According to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Picasso requested that *Guernica* remain at MoMA during the war and extended its stay until democracy was restored in Spain. The painting finally returned to Spain in 1981.

15. *Guernica* was defaced by an antiwar protester.

During its extended stay at MoMA, *Guernica* was targeted in a politically motivated act of vandalism. In 1974, Tony Shafrazi, who later gained recognition as an art dealer, spray-painted the phrase *KILL ALL LIES* across the painting. When caught by museum security, Shafrazi famously declared, “Call the curator. I am an artist.”

16. The painting was concealed during a speech by Colin Powell.

Between 1985 and 2009, a tapestry replica of *Guernica* hung at the entrance of the UN Security Council. In February 2003, during a televised speech by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell advocating for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the tapestry was hidden behind a large blue curtain.

Various accounts suggest the decision to cover *Guernica* stemmed from journalists believing its graphic content would be unsuitable for broadcast audiences, as well as the Bush Administration considering the prominent antiwar artwork an unsuitable backdrop for Powell’s advocacy of military intervention.