Basque government pressure for the transfer of 'Guernica': "We are facing a political decision"

BarcelonaThe Basque government has formally requested the Spanish government to transfer the Guernica to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao between October 2026 and June 2027. The exhibition of Picasso's iconic painting would serve to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the first Basque government and the bombing in Gernika – the Condor Legion relentlessly bombed the municipality on April 26, 1937, to aid the Francoist advance. For the lehendakari Imanol Pradales, it would be "a formula for symbolic reparation and historical memory" for the Basque people and "a message to the world" about "what war entails and the atrocity that derives from dictatorships."

The deputy lehendakari and the Basque Minister of Culture met on Tuesday with the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, to request an analysis of the technical possibilities and the costs that the transfer of such a valuable work would entail. The Reina Sofía Museum, for its part, hastened to publish a report on Thursday from its Conservation department in which the transfer is "strongly discouraged" because transport vibrations could harm its condition and increase its deterioration.

The work has never been moved from the Reina Sofía Museum since it was installed there in 1992. When it arrived in Spain from MoMA, where it was kept during the dictatorship (1939-1981), the canvas was first installed in the Buen Retiro and then moved to the Madrid contemporary art museum. The Basque Country has made several requests over the years, such as when the Guggenheim was inaugurated or on other anniversaries; Barcelona also made one in 1992. All have been denied.

Open the political debate

Councilor Ibone Bengoetxea has said: "We are not facing a merely technical issue, but an issue of memory, recognition, and reparation." She believes the matter cannot be closed without in-depth analysis, because the painting has been moved on other occasions over the years, since Picasso painted it in 1937 and it was exhibited at the Paris Universal Exposition that year. In 2026, "museums worldwide move highly complex works with all the characteristics," says Bengoetxea. For her, the report already shows that the underlying issue is not the condition of the painting, but the fact that the artwork is essential for the museum and that without this piece it loses its identity – and visitors, it is understood. "Therefore, the decision is not technical – she points out. We are facing a political decision." The Basque government has proposed creating a joint commission to evaluate the move, assess technical options, and cover the expenses.

The lehendakari insists that a conservation study has not been requested, but rather the conditions under which the move would have to be made. The issue, he states, is not closed and conversations with the ministry will continue after Easter. Pradales has warned the Spanish government: "It would seem a serious political mistake to close the door on this issue with the Reina Sofía's report, and I have told Sánchez as much," and recalled that the request was already made last year.

The Councilor for Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Community of Madrid, Mariano de Paco, from the PP – a party that staunchly defends the transfer of the Sijena murals to Aragon, 12th-century pieces – has denounced the possibility of moving this 20th-century canvas and said: "Pedro Sánchez is willing to sell anything. Of course, our heritage," with the aim of remaining in La Moncloa.