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Guernica: The Biography of a Twentieth-Century Icon

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Gijs van Hensbergen has contributed a fine volume to the libraries of books on the Atrocity of War, on the History of Spain under Franco's dictatorship, on the influence of Pablo Picasso on the development of the US as an art center after centuries of living in the shadow of Europe, of the Development of the very American art school of Abstract Expressionism, of the
rise and fall of Communism and its attendant 'McCarthy Era' of American isolationism, and ultimately of the journey of the infamous painting 'Guernica' from its creation in Paris to its world tour, its home in New York's Museum of Modern Art to its eventual return to the country that stimulated its creation - the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.

Long first sentence: long journey. The author of this fascinating book packs so much information into the well-illustrated story that 'Guernica' reads like a novel yet informs like a treatise. Initially painted by Picasso in 1937 in response to Franco's Nazi-assisted 'training lab' annihilation of the city of Gernika in the Basque region of Spain. 'Guernica" has become a symbol of the atrocity of war, the capability of man's inhumanity to man, and the global fear of self-destruction if we are not more in guardianship of the forces of war machines that continue to grind down the surface of this planet.

van Hensbergen writes so well that the amount of information contained in this readable tome never overwhelms: it is just there as backup for every statement he makes. He firmly believes that 'Guernica' is the most important painting of the 20th Century, not only because of its critical breakthrough in the art world of the changes in representation (the Cubist movement), nor because of the rally against totalitarian force wherever it occurs (including the My-Lai atrocity with which the US bruised mankind in the Vietnam conflict, etc), but also because of the profound impact this painting had upon entering the USA, in easy access to the artists who responded to its power by developing the first truly original American art movement - Abstract Expressionism.

It is often said that the artist is the ultimate philosopher. Nowhere is this better stated than in this absorbing book about the power of a single painting on the course of history in the 2oth Century. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, February 2005

"No, painting is not done to decorate apartments. It's an instrument of war for attack and defense against the enemy." So said Pablo Picasso, as World War II was ending. He must have reflected at the time that even the most famous painting-as-weapon had not really made a difference in a previous war or the current one. Still, his _Guernica_ had made an impression, and it still does. When war against Iraq was being considered, the United Nations's huge tapestry reproduction of the painting (originally made for Nelson Rockefeller, and donated by him to the UN) was covered up. A plain blue background was needed for the broadcasters in the building, said a UN spokesman; you won't be able to pull a cover on the upcoming carnage in Iraq, said an Australian delegate. In _Guernica: The Biography of a Twentieth-Century Icon_ (Bloomsbury) Gijs van Hensbergen has given a readable summary of both the art and the politics of the painting, from the history of the Spanish Civil War and the heinous bombing that it depicts to its eventual return to the Spanish republic. There is thus plenty of twentieth century history here, and art theory, and biography of the most influential painter of the century. It is all wonderfully well integrated and fascinating.

In 1937, Picasso was in Paris when he heard of the atrocity of the firebombing of Gernika (Basque spelling), far behind the lines and without military connections, arranged by Franco and carried out by the Nazis as an initial experiment in what we have come to know as "total war." He had procrastinated on a commission for the Paris Expo, but in a frenzy of inspiration, he drew his first sketches and five weeks later had completed the painting. After the Expo, the painting began its extensive travels, with the aim of giving support to the anti-fascists in Spain. Picasso refused to let it go anywhere in Spain until "a genuine Spanish republic had been restored." Picasso was satisfied with _Guernica_ settling in New York: "By means of _Guernica_ I have the pleasure of making a political statement every day in the middle of New York." But as a communist, his work was suspect, and the references to Franco and the Spanish Civil War were dropped from the label at the Museum of Modern Art. J. Edgar Hoover asked specifically that the US Embassy in Paris send any info on Picasso, even though the FBI had no business trying to get dirt on foreigners. The file on Picasso included asinine whoppers such as the accusation that he was a Russian spy. A congressman from Michigan state seems to have assumed a Rush Limbaugh-like role as radio commentator, railing against Picasso as "the hero of all the crackpots in so-called modern art" and that "critics who support modern art should be attended to."

Picasso died in 1973, and Franco in 1975. Franco had been increasingly ill and distant from actual power, and Picasso's work had gradually been allowed to be shown within Spain. Poster reproductions of _Guernica_ were popular. Picasso had not lost his bite, and gallery owners had to worry about vandalism, some of the worries proving to be entirely justified. The final section of the book deals with the difficult and labyrinthine negotiations to bring the painting back to the home it had never known. Politicians, lawyers, Basques, city boosters, and heirs all had to have their say, but eventually under extreme security, the massive canvass made a triumphal entry into Madrid in 1981, originally installed in a huge, guarded box of bullet-proof glass. One commentator observed, "Today the last exile has returned to Spain." That is the sort of tribute and the degree of importance attributed to _Guernica_ repeatedly through the book. Its detractors, frequently quoted here, may be many, and its influence in actually stopping war may be nil. It will forever haunt us, though, like a conscience that insists that someday war ought to be no more.

Van Hensbergen's Guernica is a must-read masterpiece that covers art, history,passion and politics in equal measure. From war time France, through Franco's Spain,and on through the trials of McCarthyism to Guernica's eventual repatriation the writer doesn't miss a beat. I was stunned and excited by the new revelations about Picasso and extraordinary insights into the passions that underpin Picasso's astonishing and shocking work.

Unless you are really into modern art, Picasso, and Guernica (the painting) you'll probably find this book a bit boring. Not that it isn't well written and researched, it is, but for the average reader something more was needed. I was looking for more insights into Picasso the man and a deeper look into those troubled times. About the only feeling in this book is a kind of leftist-elitist-snobbery. I'm about halfway through the book now and may finish it....