Le destin de « Guernica », icône politique née sous les bombes, retracé en réalité virtuelle au musée Picasso
The Musée Picasso-Paris is launching a virtual reality experience that traces the epic journey of Pablo Picasso's "Guernica," one of the most iconic political paintings of the 20th century. Guided by the voices of writer Juan Larrea and photographer Dora Maar, visitors are transported to Picasso's Paris studio and the bombed ruins of Gernika, reliving the creation of the masterpiece commissioned for the Spanish Republic's pavilion at the 1937 International Exposition in Paris. The VR experience covers the painting's genesis, its global tour, and its eventual exile at MoMA in New York until 1981.
This immersive project matters because it highlights the enduring political charge of "Guernica," which remains too fragile to travel—the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, which has housed it since 1992, refuses any future loans, even for a planned 2027 exhibition at the Guggenheim Bilbao marking the 90th anniversary of the bombing. The refusal has reignited tensions with the Basque Country, underscoring how the painting continues to serve as both a universal symbol of barbarism and a potent reminder of the trauma of the Spanish Civil War.