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The Bombing of a Spanish Town Inspired Picasso’s Greatest Work
An act of war that led to an act of creative protest
Guernica is a town in the province of Biscay in the Basque Country, Spain. On 26 April 1937, the town became known around the world. For three hours, the warplanes of the German Condor Legion at the behest of Spanish Nationalists led by General Franco mercilessly bombed the town.
Spain was in the midst of a civil war between the forces of Franco and the ruling Republic. The war, which had begun in 1936, was a brutal battle of attrition set amongst the spectre of totalitarianism sweeping across Europe during the 1930s.
Guernica was being used as a communications centre behind the frontline. The bombing of the city opened the way for Franco to capture Bilbao and complete his victory in Northern Spain.
The significance of what happened in Guernica was the loss of life caused by the bombing. To this day, disputes rage over how many people perished during the bombings. The Basque government estimated 1,654 people died, several historians claimed between 200 to 500 deaths, while the Soviet archives reported 800 deaths.¹
The attack on Guernica marked a new phenomenon; the bombing of civilians by the military. This was a practice in its infancy, one never…
