SCULPTURES IN THE REINA SOFÍA
Floorplan of Sculptures, Reina Sofía
1. Daphne
From the mid-1920s, Julio González (1876–1942) developed a sculpting language by working with metals using industrial construction methods. Daphne (1937) is a defining piece that showcases the possibilities that this new artistic language had to offer.
2. Great Prophet
Catalan artist Pablo Gargallo (1881–1934) was one of the most important Spanish sculptors during the 1920s and 1930s. He spent nearly 30 years planning this 1933 masterpiece which was cast sadly only after his death.
3. Portrait of Joella
This beautiful sculpture-painting (1933–4) was the fruit of a collaboration between Catalan Salvador Dalí and the leading American Surrealist, Man Ray (1890–1976). Man Ray fashioned the head, leaving Salvador Dalí to add the striking painted dream landscape across the face.
4. Seated Woman I
Born in Barcelona, Julio González (1876–1942) became an apprentice, first in his father’s metalsmith shop and then as a welder in Paris, and his training at the forge had a major impact on his work. This abstract piece from c.1935 is very typical of his output.
Seated Woman I by Julio González
5. Man with a Lamb
This 1943 work by Pablo Picasso is a traditional sculpture in the manner of Rodin. Picasso’s studies of the period suggest that the lamb is a symbol of sacrifice.
6. Sailor with Guitar
Born in Lithuania, Jacques Lipchitz (1891–1973) fell under the spell of Cubism during his first stay in Paris in 1909. This piece (1917) is representative of his Cubist sculptures.
7. Empty Suspension
Jorge de Oteiza (1908–2003) was a highly original Basque sculptor.This forged steel sculpture (1957) was developed around the time the artist was taking an interest in American megalithic statuary.
8. Bather
Spanish sculptor Mateo Hernández (1884–1949) produced work influenced by Art Deco and New Objectivity trends during the interwar years. Bather (1925) follows the Ancient Greek style of being carved in coral granite.
9. Woman in the Garden
In the late 1920s, Picasso frequented the studio of Catalan artist Julio González in Paris, and was inspired to develop his own metal sculpting techniques. Results include this remarkable bronze Woman in the Garden (1930–32).
10. Toki Egin (Homage to St John of the Cross)
Eduardo Chillida (1924–2002) is one of Spain’s most highly regarded sculptors. This huge iron work (1989–90) weighs 9,000 kg (17,500 lbs) – cranes were used to install it in the garden.
PABLO PICASSO’S GUERNICA
The museum’s most precious and famous work is on display in Room 206. Commissioned as propaganda, Guernica instantly transcended its original purpose. In April 1937, at the height of the Civil War, German bombers devastated the Basque town of Guernica (Gernika) in support of General Franco’s Nationalist forces. The attack, almost unprecedented, on a defenceless civilian population, caused international outrage. Picasso completed his huge canvas in just two months and it was first exhibited at the Paris World’s Fair. Ever since, the meaning and content of Guernica have been minutely analysed, to the irritation of the artist. Picasso chose not to depict the bombardment – there are no airplanes, for example – but to indict war, with all its senselessness and barbarity, conceived in terms of the artist’s highly individual language of symbols. The preliminary sketches (some of which are on display in the adjacent rooms) help the viewer to understand the work. Picasso tried eight different versions before arriving at his ultimate vision.
Guernica’s symbolism of dismembered bodies, staring eyes, rearing horses gripped in pain, and desperate outstretched arms, combined with the bleakness of a monochrome colour scheme, express the artist’s view of war.
TOP 10 FEATURES IN PICASSO’S GUERNICA
Spanish town of Guernica, after the bombing by German and Italian aircraft in 1937
1. Bull
2. Wounded Horse
3. Bereaved Mother
4. Dead Child
5. Dead Soldier
6. Candle
7. Light Bulb
8. Broken Dagger
9. Window
10. Eyes
