Chocolatiers recreate Guernica - 5th May 2021

Guernica, Pablo Picasso's world renowned anti-war painting, has been reproduced in chocolate ahead of the 85th anniversary of the events which inspired its creation.

The original Guernica depicts the aerial bombardment of the town of the same name, located in the Basque Country in northern Spain. On 26th April 1937, the Nazi German Luftwaffe and the Fascist Italian Aviazone Legionaria carried out a devastating assault on Guernica at the request of Francisco Franco, the head of Nationalist forces during the Spanish civil war.

The attack sparked controversy as it involved the bombing of civilians by a military air force. It left Guernica in ruins. Civilian casualties numbered about 300.

Picasso completed his portrayal of the devastation a few months after the event itself. Using a minimal palette of black, white and grey, the celebrated artist depicted the tragedies of war and the suffering it causes innocent civilians. The painting soon gained huge fame as a critique of conflict.

In commemoration of the upcoming anniversary of the bombing, Basque confectioners have come together to recreate Picasso's painting in three different kinds of chocolate. At 7.7 metres in width and 3.5 metres in height, the confectionary copy is life-size.

The chocolate Guernica is set to tour the country. Guernica is, of course, among the locations where it will go on display.