Guernica by Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous artworks of the 20th century. The painting is huge and violent, and when it was first displayed in 1937 it was considered absolutely groundbreaking.
In 1937, at the height of the Spanish civil war, the town of Guernica in the Basque Country was destroyed in a three-hour bombing raid that left it in burning ruins. Hearing the news in Paris, Picasso was immediately stirred to create the painting as a cry of pain and protest and to demand international attention.
