The lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, has again demanded that 'Guernica' by Pablo Picasso can be exhibited, at least temporarily, in Euskadi, and has urged the Government of Pedro Sánchez to make a political decision on the matter.
A direct demand to the Government
During his speech at the PNV's central event in Bilbao on the occasion of the Aberri Eguna, Pradales posed a direct question to the Executive: “Is the Spanish Government going to have the political courage to bring the ‘Guernica’ to Euskadi? Yes or no?”.
The lehendakari compared this decision with other measures of a symbolic nature adopted in recent years, such as the exhumation of Franco, questioning why an artwork cannot be transferred from Madrid to the Basque Country.
A historical vindication of Basque nationalism
The petition is not new. Basque nationalism has been demanding for decades that the ‘Guernica’, currently exhibited in the Reina Sofía Museum, be transferred to Euskadi as a gesture of historical recognition.
Pradales has framed this claim in a context of special symbolism, given the commemorations planned for 2026: the 90 years of the first Basque Government and of the bombing of Gernika, as well as other attacks on Basque municipalities during the Civil War.
In their judgment, the temporary loan of the work would represent an advance in the repair of democratic memory and a message in favor of peace in the current international context.
Refusal for technical reasons
The answer so far has been negative. Both the Government and the Reina Sofía Museum have argued that the transfer of the painting is not viable due to its delicate state of conservation, supported by technical reports.
Despite this, both Pradales and the vice-lehendakari, Ibone Bengoetxea, have insisted in recent weeks on reopening the debate before the Ministry of Culture.
Political criticisms and symbolic appeal
The lehendakari has also criticized the reaction of political and media sectors opposed to the proposal, who have gone so far as to call the transfer a “matter of State”.
In the face of this, Pradales has defended that it is a political and symbolic decision, and has demanded of the Executive that it adopt a clear stance.
“It would be an appeal in favor of peace at a time of wars and global tensions,” he/she has pointed out, appealing to the universal meaning of Picasso's work, created in 1937 to denounce the bombing of Gernika.
A debate open between politics, history and heritage
The ‘Guernica’, which arrived in Spain in 1981 after decades in New York, has become one of the main artistic symbols of the memory of the Civil War.
The request for its transfer reopens a recurring debate between the protection of heritage, technical criteria and political demands, in a context in which the historical meaning of the work remains fully valid.