ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Guernica Cartoon Makes Italian Debut at Palazzo Giustiniani

exhibition · 2026-05-05

For the first time, the cartoon of Pablo Picasso's 'Guernica' is being showcased in Italy at Palazzo Giustiniani in Rome from December 18 to January 7. Commissioned in 1955 by Nelson Rockefeller as a reference for a tapestry, it is crafted from packing paper in six strips, measuring 3.10 by 7.50 meters. Curator Serena Baccaglini found it in a crate at the French residence of the heirs of weaver Jacqueline de la Baume Durrbach, who worked with Picasso. Durrbach, who increased the color range from three to eleven, created the tapestry now housed at the UN. This exhibition marks the 70th anniversary of the Italian Constitution and will move to Pieve di Cento from January 12 to February 28, 2018.

Key facts

  • The Guernica cartoon is exhibited in Italy for the first time at Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome, from December 18 to January 7.
  • The cartoon was created by Picasso in 1955, 18 years after the original oil painting.
  • Nelson Rockefeller commissioned the tapestry, prompting Picasso to create the cartoon.
  • The cartoon was discovered by curator Serena Baccaglini in the home of Jacqueline de la Baume Durrbach's heirs in France.
  • The cartoon is made of six strips of packing paper, measuring 3.10 x 7.50 meters.
  • Weaver Jacqueline de la Baume Durrbach expanded the color palette from three to eleven colors for the tapestry.
  • The exhibition celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Italian Constitution, which repudiates war.
  • After Rome, the cartoon will be shown at Museo Magi '900 in Pieve di Cento from January 12 to February 28, 2018.

Entities

Artists

  • Pablo Picasso
  • Jacqueline de la Baume Durrbach
  • Nelson Rockefeller
  • Serena Baccaglini
  • Lucien Clergue
  • Lucia Bosè

Institutions

  • Senato della Repubblica Italiana
  • Museo Reina Sofia
  • Palazzo Giustiniani
  • Fondazione Rockefeller
  • Museo Magi '900
  • ONU
  • Musée de l'Annonciade
  • Rencontres di Arles

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy
  • Madrid
  • Spain
  • Guernica
  • Paesi Baschi
  • Parigi
  • Francia
  • Saint Tropez
  • Sud della Francia
  • Pieve di Cento
  • Bologna

Sources