Synopses & Reviews
Of all the great paintings in the world, the story of Pablo Picasso's Guernica may tell us more about the last century's history than any other. In this new book by Gijs van Hensbergen, the acclaimed biographer of Gaudí, the author explores the life of this key cultural icon from its birth to the present day. He tells the story of the painting's beginnings, amid the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War; describes its use as a weapon in the propaganda battle against Fascism; tells how it traveled overseas to become the nucleus of the Museum of Modern Art's creation in New York; and finally writes movingly of its role as a symbol of reconciliation for Spain after the death of Franco, when it returned to that country as democracy was reestablished.
Guernica is a story of national struggle, political exile, and the power of art as a tool of protest and of healing. Ingeniously chronicling the last century using Picasso's visionary tableau, van Hensbergen offers a new way of understanding our own history.
Review
"Van Hensbergen...refurbishes Guernica's aura the way another might restore the canvas itself." Nation
Review
"Concentrating as much on politics as on art history, Gijs van Hensbergen...follows Guernica from Picasso's preliminary sketches to the canvas's belated arrival in Spain some 55 years later...A book that sparkles with intelligence." San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"The definitive study of Picasso's antiwar masterpiece, which folds the disciplines of art criticism, political history, and biography into a passionate, detailed and well-argued narrative." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Guernica relates the powerful story of Picassos 1937 masterpiece, a painting that from its birth out of war and violence became known worldwide as a symbolic cry for peace. The acclaimed biographer of Gaudí traces the iconic paintings beginnings amid the Spanish Civil War through its use as a weapon in the propaganda battle against Fascism, through the years when it became the nucleus of the Museum of Modern Arts creation in New York, to its role as a symbol of reconciliation when it returned to Spain after the death of Franco, as democracy was reestablished.
About the Author
Gijs van Hensbergen lectures on architecture and is the author of Art Deco (1986), A Taste of Castile (1992, reissued 2003) and the acclaimed biography Gaudí (2001).