Guernica (1937) by Pablo Picasso, via Museo de Reina Sofia
A tapestry replica of Picasso’s famous 1937 anti-war painting Guernica will be exhibited at the Whitechapel in London. Commissioned by Norman Rockefeller, the tapestry is currently displayed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York outside the Security Council Chamber. It is now arriving at the Whitechapel as part of Polish-born London artist Goshka Macuga’s installation that will feature the tapestry for a reopening of the Whitechapel after a ₤13.5 million re-development. The refurbishment of the gallery is by Belgian architects Robbrecht & Daem and Yaya nominee Witherford Watson Mann.
Controversial Tapestry to star in Whitechapel reopening [Art Newspaper]
“Guernica” Tapestry will travel to Whitechapel [Artinfo]
Whitechapel Gallery expansion unveiled [BuildingDesignOnline]
Picasso Tapestry of Guernica Heads to UK [The Guardian]
Tapestry of Picasso’s Guernica to be displayed in Britain [The Telegraph]
The reopening of the Whitechapel Gallery after the completion of a large expansion [The Financial Times]
Look What they’ve done to the Whitechapel [This is London]
Whitechapel’s $20 Million Redo Expands Edgy London Gallery [Bloomberg]
Visitor viewing Picasso’s Guernica at the Reina Sofia, via The New York Times
Former US Vice President and art collector, Norman Rockefeller is said to have had a strong attachment to the painting since he had been president of New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1939, the year Picasso sent the work there. The painting remained in New York until it was transferred to Madrid in 1981 where it is now. The original painting was made in 1937 after the bombing of the Basque town. Guernica has come to symbolize the destruction of war.
Whitechapel’s redesign via BuildingDesign Online
Detail of Picasso’s Guernica, via The Guardian
-R.A. Proctor
