1936–1939

From the early 1930s, tensions between the two factions of Spanish society – reformists and conservatives – escalated to the extreme. The disagreement between the two groups culminated in a bloody civil war in 1936, after the far-right Francisco Franco attempted a coup against the elected reformist, pro-republican government. During the conflict, Nazi Germany and Italy provided military support to the right-wing forces. The civil war claimed the lives of 1.5 million people over the course of just over three years.

January 1937

Although Picasso was already living in Paris when the Civil War broke out, he sided with the Republican government, which in 1937 commissioned him to create a painting for the Spanish pavilion at the World of Peace Conference in Paris, set to open that summer. The painter initially wanted to depict the motif of “the artist and his model”, as a reference to the freedom of art.

26 April 1937

He learned of the destruction of Guernica. German, Spanish, and Italian troops razed Guernica – a Basque town that had resisted Franco’s dictatorial ambitions – to the ground in 3.5 hours. The town had no military significance; the sole purpose of the attack was to instil fear. As a result, Guernica became a symbol of all the horrors of the civil war, the massacre of innocent civilians, and the terror of war. Picasso was deeply shaken by the inhuman bloodshed and decided to paint the bombing of Guernica for the International Exposition in Paris

1 May 1937

Picasso began sketching the new design, and within five weeks he completed the work (on June 4), which covers an area of more than 27 m².

23 October 1956

Following the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution, many people urged Picasso to speak out against the assaults. They encouraged him, saying “Paint a new Guernica!” Béla Czóbel began his letter to Picasso with these words: “I am coming from the hell that the Soviets have made of Hungary.”