Guernica
I titled this post after the painting, not the museum, because for me, Picasso’s Guernica was the only reason to visit the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid. But the Reina Sofia has plenty to offer besides that iconic work, so it’s definitely worth a visit for anyone who likes 20th-century art.
To get to the Reina Sofia, we walked to the Prado again, and continued past it to the Atocha train station. Then we crossed the busy roundabout to the museum. The exterior is rather plain - it was formerly an 18th-century hospital. Two glass elevator towers flanked the main entrance.
The star attraction, Guernica, was in its own large gallery. As soon as I entered the room, I was awestruck by Guernica’s scale. It was painted in oil on a canvas measuring 11 ft 5 in tall and 25 ft 6 in long (3.5 m x 7.6 m). Later, when I walked through the gallery a few times to reach other spaces, that enormity compelled me to stop for a third and fourth look.
There was plenty of room for the small crowd in front of Guernica. I waited politely for my turn to step forward, and it was only a few seconds before I found myself standing directly in front of the masterpiece. My next thought was fascination that a monochromatic image could be so powerful.
Like the paintings by Bosch and Breugel I had admired at the Prado, Picasso’s piece was riveting. I didn’t know where to look, and I couldn’t stop looking. But there was a big difference: the other paintings were curious and fascinating; when I looked at Guernica, I felt pain, horror, and outrage. I could hear the screams. I could understand why Guernica has become a universal symbol of protest against the violence and injustice of war. And sadly, it is also timeless, because there are still too many people suffering this way today. Seeing Guernica up close in real life is unforgettable.
Guernica’s interesting story enhances its mystique. Picasso painted it for the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exposition. He was inspired by the horrific bombing of the Basque town of Guernica and completed the huge painting in just 35 days. In 1939, at Picasso’s request, Guernica was placed under the care of the Museum of Modern Art (in New York City) until democracy was restored in Spain. Guernica finally returned to Spain in 1981, and has been on display at the Reina Sofia since 1992. It’s only recently that this masterpiece’s time in Spain has surpassed its time out of the country.
On the wall opposite from Guernica were selections from a series of photographs by Dora Marr, Picasso’s lover at the time, showing the evolution of Guernica. Picasso made significant changes as the painting progressed. Unfortunately the photographs did not reveal what he was thinking.
We explored the other galleries on that floor. Highlights included Picasso’s continued exploration of the Mater Dolorosa (sorrowful mother) figures from Guernica; vivid anti-war paintings by other Spanish artists; surprising Cubist paintings by a young Salvador Dali; and engaging works by some Spanish artists I plan to learn more about.
It’s worth noting that Reina Sofia has allowed photography in the museum since September 2023. I did not see anyone being intrusive about taking photos of Guernica or anything else.
