Chocolatiers recreate Guernica - 5th May 2021

Chocolatiers have replicated Pablo Picasso's famed anti-war painting Guernica in chocolate to commemorate the anniversary of the tragedy it depicts.

On 26th April 1937, at the height of Spain's civil war, the Nazi German Luftwaffe and the Fascist Italian Aviazone Legionaria rained down death and destruction on the Basque town of Guernica. The assault came at the behest of the leader of the Spanish Nationalist faction, Francisco Franco. Reducing the town to rubble, the blitzkrieg attracted immediate condemnation due to the huge loss of civilian life, with casualties numbering around 300.

Barely a fortnight after the aerial strike, Picasso picked up his paintbrush to render the disaster in stark monochrome. Using his trademark fragmentary cubist style to depict the broken bodies of the despairing victims of the bombing, Picasso drew the world's attention to the misery conflict inflicts on individuals, particularly innocent civilians. Upon completion, Guernica quickly achieved monumental status as a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war.

The assault on Guernica and Picasso's subsequent portrayal of it remains a significant part of Basque cultural heritage. With the 85th anniversary approaching, confectioners from across the region have joined forces to fabricate a life-size chocolate replica of the acclaimed image. Measuring 7.7 metres by 3.5 metres, it is formed of 14 separate slabs assembled together.

The cocoa tableau will be exhibited in several locations across Spain, including Guernica itself.