
“Guernica” Tears Spain Apart: Madrid Refuses to Loan Picasso’s Painting to the Basque Country
« Guernica » déchire l’Espagne : Madrid refuse le prêt du tableau de Picasso au Pays basque
The Spanish government and the Reina Sofía Museum have rejected a request from the Basque regional government to loan Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece, "Guernica," to the Guggenheim Bilbao. The proposed loan was intended to mark the 90th anniversary of the 1937 bombing of the town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. While Madrid cites the painting's extreme physical fragility as the reason for the refusal, the decision has sparked a heated political row, exacerbated by derogatory comments from Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso.





