Guernica: The Life and Travels of a Painting (The Landmark Library)

Guernica: The Life and Travels of a Painting (The Landmark Library) by Attlee, James. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781786691446.

A brilliant, concise account of the painting often described as the most important work of art produced in the twentieth century, as part of the stunning Landmark Library series. Pablo Picasso had already accepted a commission to create a work for the Spanish Republican Pavilion in 1937 when news arrived of the bombing of the undefended Basque town of Gernika. James Attlee offers an illuminating account of the genesis, creation and complex afterlife of Picassos Guernica. He explores the historical and cultural context from which the painting sprang and the meanings it accrued during its travels across Europe and the Americas, as well as its influence on artists both living and dead. Finally, he argues for its continuing importance as a warning of what happens when the forces of darkness go unchallenged. Praise for Guernica: Helps you appreciate Guernicas daring and resonance Literary Review An impressive overview of the paintings conception and execution, and its subsequent life as an exhibit and a symbol ... Attlees book succeeds in showing how influential Guernica has been Sunday Times Attlee digs up rich examples of the debate and devotion that invariably attended the painting ... Guernica literature abounds; but this book is a worthwhile addition Spectator