Mission Impossible: Guernica. The Battle for the Interpretation of Picasso’s Work during the Cold War

Abstract

During the Cold War Picasso’s Guernica was on loan at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Throughout this period, its interpretation was the subject of much debate. The museum was interested in situating the painting within its own narrative of twentieth-century art history, while, at the same time, the painting functioned as an icon in contemporary political struggles in the form of reproductions and pictorial versions. This article reviews some of these contradictory positions towards Picasso’s work during this intense “battle for the interpretation”.