Picasso, Pablo. (1881–1973)
Signed "Guernica" Stamp
Small signature ("Picasso") from the important artist, on a 1966 Czechoslovakian stamp commemorating the Spanish Civil War, featuring Picasso's painting Guernica. Text to the stamp reads: "30th Anniversary of the International Brigade in Spain." The stamp, 3 x 1.25 inches, is mounted neatly within a hand-drawn border to a 6 x 3 inch card, with the signature slightly extending onto the card. Together with the original typed transmittal envelope addressed to the collector in New York, with French stamps postmarked March 27, 1970. In fine condition.Picasso's Guernica, completed in June 1937, is considered one of the most powerful anti-war paintings in history, and one of the greatest of the artist's works. The work was initially commissioned by the Spanish government as a mural for the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 Paris World's Fair, and in Picasso's first sketches the subject was the artist's studio. But after hearing of the devastating bombing of the Basque town of Guernica in April 1937 by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy at the request of Spanish Nationalists, he changed course and began to plan a large-scale scene of people and animals suffering the agonies of war. The massive 25-by-11-foot work depicts a grieving woman with a dead child, a horse with a large hole in its side, a bull, and further dismembered human and animal bodies, all rendered in matte shades of black, grey, and white. Upon completion, Guernica was exhibited at the Spanish display at the 1937 Paris International Exposition and then at other venues around the world. The touring exhibition was used to raise funds for Spanish war relief. The painting became famous and widely acclaimed, helped bring worldwide attention to the Spanish Civil War, and has become known as a timeless warning against the horrors of war. (17831)
Signed Document/Item Art & Design