Guernica exhibition at the Picasso Museum in Paris

Following the 80th anniversary of the creation of Guernica, the National Picasso Museum in Paris is dedicating an exhibition to the story of this exceptional painting by Pablo Picasso. The exhibition is open from March 27th to July 29th 2018, in the extraordinary Hotel Salé, dedicated to the work of the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) located in the Marais, a central district of Paris. Breathtaking. An exhibition you should visit absolutely.

The exhibition

If you want to learn how Guernica, a mural-sized (3,49m tall and 7,76m wide) painting, famous all around the world for being one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history, was made by Pablo Picasso than you should not miss the Guernica exhibition in the National Picasso Museum in Paris. Before creating his monumental painting, the Spanish artist made numerous drawings and preparatory studies that you can see during this exhibition. The origins of the artwork is presented from the fall of the Spanish Monarchy in 1930 and the proclamation of the Republic, bullfights and Minotauromachies to the beginning of the Spanish civil war in Picasso’s life and art. The exhibition is conceived to reminds us of the artwork’s context, emphasizing on the choc caused by the bombing of Guernica, the Basque village, on April 26th 1937. The second part of the exhibition shows the story and the posterity of Guernica. For this exhibition, the National Museum Picasso Paris enjoys an exceptional loan of sketches from the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reine Sofia as well as a partnership with the French National Archives.

Hotel Salé – Museum Picasso

The exhibition "Guernica" in Picasso Museum is also a perfect opportunity to visit the Hotel Salé, a mansion from 17th century, dedicated to the work of the Spanish painter. The building has seen many occupants come and go over the centuries. It was the Embassy of the Republic of Venice in 1671, then expropriated during the French Revolution and in 1815 it became a school, where Balzac, a French writer, studied. Just one year following the death of Pablo Picasso, the City of Paris chose the Hôtel Salé to house artists’ collection. The building has the status of the Historic Monument since October 1968.

The collection

The National Picasso Museum is also worth visiting for its collection of over 5 000 works and tens of thousands of archived pieces that presents both Picasso’s work and a precise record of the artist’s creative process (through sketches, studies, drafts, notebooks, etchings in various stages, photographs, illustrated books and films).

Practical Information

Guernica exhibition in Picasso Museum in Paris is open from Tuesday to Friday: 10.30 am – 6 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30 am to 6 pm. Closed on Mondays.