Where is guernica

The exhibition catalogue. Created in in a vast format, Guernica summarizes the plastic researches Picasso led for more than 40 years. Thanks to the reproduction of more than works of the artist, this book proposes a new interpretation of the masterpieces that punctuate the path of Guernica.

Exhibited, reproduced everywhere in the world, this work was all at once an anti Francoist, anti-Fascist and pacifist symbol, which the artist kept the traces in his own archives. Thus, this publication presents hundreds of documents, from an unprecedented work of researches into the private archives of Pablo Picasso, that enlighten differently the question of the political commitment of the painter and that testifies of the material help given by Picasso to the anti-Francoist Spanish artists.

If Guernica is still considered nowadays a work of a rare force, it is also thanks to the visual, political and literary contexts in which it was exhibited: the Pavillon de l'Exposition international des Arts et Techniques in and the importance of men that contributed to spread this work such as Michel Leiris in the Cahier d'art or Paul Eluard whose some of his texts are here reproduced. The exhibition tries to show visitors the meaning of its historic, political and cultural environment as well as explaining the characteristics of the Basque community.

The museum is divided in four floors, with the ground level being dedicated to the physical environment that has influenced the Basque way of life. The exhibition of the first floor shows the historic evolution of the region, presenting the events that resulted in the current politic situation. The last two floors are dedicated to Basque culture, including information about sports, music, dance, beliefs, myths, etc.

There is also an attic that is used for temporary exhibitions. Inaugurated in and located next to the Biscayan Assembly, the Park of the Peoples of Europe is a beautiful park that is worth taking a stroll through.

One of the highlights of the park are the sculptures from Eduardo Chillida and Henry Moore. There are also the busts of W. Humboldt and G. It is a monument dedicated to peace and was designed so that, from its window, it is possible to see the Guernica Tree.

The Santa Maria Church stands on the highest point of Guernica. Although its construction started in , it went through several modifications throughout the centuries and wasn't actually finished until It is considered one of the best examples of gothic architecture in the Basque Country.

However, due to its long construction time, there are various different architectural styles found in the building. The last style of architecture employed in the Santa Maria Church was renaissance. There you will find a Walcker organ from Although the Santa Maria Church wasn't destroyed by the bombing of , it was seriously damaged and its parochial archive was lost in the fire that followed. The fastest sport in the world, Jai Alai, has a long tradition in Guernica.

The city is proud to have the second largest active fronton in the world, called Guernica Jai Alai and considered by many professional players to also be the best fronton in the world. Inaugurated in , it was designed by Secundino Zuazo, one of the most significant architects of the 20 th century in Spain. That service includes a short introduction to the history of Jai Alai, a demonstration match to 15 points and it is also possible to put a cesta on and have a go at it yourself.

There is also another fronton in Guernica called Santanape where the most popular version of pelota is played — pelota mano. Once in Guernica, you can get to of all places of interest by foot. However, there is a local bus service called Bidebusa which runs between am and pm. CAR — Guernica is located about 30 minutes drive from the city center of Bilbao.

From Guernica, it takes about 1 h to get to both San Sebastian or Vitoria by car. In general, there is at least one bus every 30 minutes from Guernica to Bilbao every hour during the weekend and it costs around 2. The same company also offers buses that connect Guernica with other towns of the surrounding.

The Republican forces were made up of assorted factions Communists, Socialists, Anarchists, to name a few with wildly differing approaches to government and eventual aims, but a common opposition to the Nationalists.

The Nationalists, led by General Francisco Franco, were also factionalized but to a lesser extent. They sought a return to the golden days of Spain, based on law, order, and traditional Catholic family values. Germany, at this time led by Hitler, had lent material support to the Nationalists and were using the war as an opportunity to test out new weapons and tactics. Later, intense aerial bombardment became a crucial preliminary step in the Blitzkrieg tactic. Guernica is an icon of modern art, the Mona Lisa for our time.

As Leonardo da Vinci evoked a Renaissance ideal of serenity and self-control, Guernica should be seen as Picasso's comment on what art can actually contribute towards the self-assertion that liberates every human being and protects the individual against overwhelming forces such as political crime, war, and death. Guernica , Picasso's most important political painting, has remained relevant as a work of art and as a symbol of protest, and it kept the memory of the Basque town's nightmare alive.

Guernica was a commissioned painting. After the bombing of Guernica, Picasso was made aware of what had gone on in his country of origin. At the time, he was working on a mural for the Paris Exhibition to be held in the summer of , commissioned by the Spanish Republican government. He deserted his original idea and on 1 May , began on Guernica. This captivated his imagination unlike his previous idea, on which he had been working somewhat dispassionately, for a couple of months.

It is interesting to note, however, that at its unveiling at the Paris Exhibition that summer, it garnered little attention. It would later attain its power as such a potent symbol of the destruction of war on innocent lives. Perhaps because Picasso learned about the Guernica bombing by reading an article in newspaper, the suggestion of torn newsprint appears in the painting. It doubles as the horse's chain mail.

Picasso's patriotism and sense of justice outweighed physical location. Browse all artworks Authors A-Z. Entry date:. The government of the Spanish Republic acquired the mural "Guernica" from Picasso in When World War II broke out, the artist decided that the painting should remain in the custody of New York's Museum of Modern Art for safekeeping until the conflict ended.

In Picasso extended the loan of the painting to MoMA for an indefinite period, until such time that democracy had been restored in Spain. The work finally returned to this country in Register number:. On display in:.