lithograph, paper, 33 x 63 cm
color lithograph, Arches France high-grade lithographic paper; dimensions: 33 x 63 cm clear passe-partout, 52 x 80 framed passe-partout; signed on the plate under the composition p. d. "Picasso", limited edition and hand-numbered in pencil "35/200"; l.d. dry seal of the certified publisher with the inscription "PICASSO"; on the back, color facsimile of Picasso's drawing of the so-called "headpiece" with signature and information about the publisher - "Copyright Foundation Pablo Picasso" / amount of edition (200 pieces) / each piece numbered. Original certificate.
The painting was commissioned and paid for in the amount of 200,000 pesetas by the Republican government to be exhibited in the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris, where the artist painted the work. It pays tribute to the Basque town of Guernica, which was bombed by the German Legion Condor corps, part of the Luftwaffe, on April 26, 1937.
Guernica was painted using matte paints commissioned by Picasso. He wanted them to have as little gloss as possible. American artist, John Ferren helped Picasso sketch Guernica. The entire creative process was captured by photographer Dora Maar, who had worked with Picasso since 1936, photographing his studio. Picasso worked on the painting for 35 days
After the end of the Spanish Civil War, the Francoist dictatorship took hold. Pablo Picasso expressed his wish that the painting would be in Spain when democracy returned there. Until 1981, the painting was located in New York. A full-size wallpaper of the painting is in the UN headquarters to remind and warn of the atrocities of war. The artwork was covered up for the duration of the First Gulf War (1990-1991). Another replica (as a mural) is located in the city of Guernica.
It is currently housed in the Queen Sofia Museum in Madrid.
