What strikes me most about James Attlee’s chronology of Picasso’s “Guernica” is the sense of how the painting seemed to have a life of its own, independent of the artist. And how it was never displayed in Spain – indeed, never in the country – until well after Franco’s death, so four decades after it was painted.
Created in France, spending much of its life in New York, the painting was also somewhat itinerant being displayed all over the world. The greatest irony here was that it was shown in Germany before it was ever seen in Spain… If you know a little of the destruction of the city of Guernica then you’ll understand my comment.
This is a fascinating history, and well written by Attlee. If you are interested in Picasso – or the history of art in general – this might be right up your street.
Ian Gouge - Writer 