Picasso’s century. Spanish art of the 20th century

In the exhibition of 20th-century Spanish art, art lovers had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with characteristic works from the wealthy collections of the National Museum – Reina Sofia Art Centre and with the great artists who played, or continue to play, a role in the international art scene: from Picasso, Juan Gris, Gonzalez, Miró, Dali to Tàpies, Chillida, Antonio Lopez Garcia, the prematurely lost Juan Muñoz, Jose Maria Sicilia, Cristina Iglesias, Barceló, and other representative artists of the younger generation.

The Spanish artists who found themselves in Paris during the Civil War did not remain indifferent to the tragic events that befell their country. Picasso’s Guernica, a landmark in 20th-century art, emblematic of the hardships of the Spanish people, formed the core of the Athens exhibition. Not the imposing painting itself, which, being a national treasure, cannot travel outside of the country, but some of the most important preliminary drawings for it. Also related to Picasso’s supreme masterpiece is the maquette for the modern pavilion of the democratic government of Spain for the 1937 Paris World Fair, the work of the architects José Luis Sert and Luis Lacasa. It was there that the Guernica, commissioned by the Spanish Republic, first went on display. This exhibition marks the first time that the maquette was exhibited outside Spain.

Exhibition Curators: Dr. Maria José Salazar, Director of Collections, National Museum-Reina Sofia Art Centre
Efi Agathonikou, Curator, National Gallery of Greece

Sponsors: COSMOTE, INTRACOM, ETHNIKI INSURANCE COMPANY, Communication Sponsor: Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT)