Picasso: Guernica

In 1937 the Spanish Republican government asked Picasso to paint a mural for the Spanish Pavilion at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. At first unsure of how to tackle a task of such importance, Picasso was spurred into action by news reports of the horrific aerial bombardment of the Basque town of Guernica, victim of the Civil War. He worked intensively, producing more than 50 studies and making extensive revisions to the enormous canvas. Redolent with political allusions, reportage and historical references, the painting has attracted debate and analysis ever since its completion. This book’s 8 fold-out sections take the reader through each aspect of the painting, showing preliminary sketches, repeated themes in Picasso’s work and scenes of the dramatic events that inspired the work, culminating in a splendid horizontal fold-out of the entire painting.