Guernica: The Biography of a Painting

Guernica: The Biography of a Painting

by Gijsvan Hensbergen (Author)

Synopsis

Of all the great paintings in the world, Guernica has had a more direct impact on our consciousness than perhaps any other. In his new book the acclaimed biographer of Gaudi brings his knowledge and insight to bear on this key cultural icon. He tells the painting's story from its beginnings in the violence of the Spanish Civil War when Nazi Germany's 'Condor Legion' bombed the Basque town of Gernika in what would become a trial run for the Blitzkriegs of the Second World War, through its time as a weapon in the propaganda battle against Fascism and the years when it became the nucleus of the nascent Museum of Modern Art in New York, to its role as a symbol of reconciliation when it returned to Spain after the death of Franco and the re-establishment of democracy in that country. It is an epic story and one to which Gijs van Hensbergen has done full justice.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 18 Oct 2004

ISBN 10: 0747549389
ISBN 13: 9780747549383
Book Overview: A completely original book that treats Picasso's iconic painting as a character and unfolds the hidden history and politics of the many battles to control and interpret it. Jacket folds out to reveal large-scale reproduction of Guernica 4-page colour insert and 50 black and white illustrations integrated with text

Media Reviews
REVIEWS OF GAUDI 'A terrifically stirring biography van Hensbergen animates ideas with narrative drive. Buildings are his characters' New York Times 'At the end I felt like jumping on a jet to Barcelona, imagination at full stretch, rosary in hand' Guardian 'A soaring biography, meticulously researched, elegantly organised, fluidly and lucidly written' Chicago Tribune 'Gaudi brings vividly alive for the first time the Catalan cultural and political background that is the key to understanding Gaudi' Sunday Telegraph
Author Bio
Gijs van Hensbergen lectures on architecture and is the author of the acclaimed biography of Gaudi, the great Catalan architect of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia cathedral. Gijs van Hensbergen played a key role in Channel 4's three-part documentary on Gaudi's life and work. He lives in Bridport, Devon.