Palermo Exhibition Links Picasso, Guttuso, and the Triumph of Death

A new exhibition at Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo, titled 'Attraversamenti' and curated by Serena Baccaglini, Marco Carapezza, and Maddalena De Luca, explores a hypothetical dialogue between Pablo Picasso's 'Guernica' (1937), Renato Guttuso's 'Crocifissione' (1941), and the anonymous 15th-century fresco 'Trionfo della Morte' housed in the same museum. The show, open until March 2, 2025, presents a tapestry version of 'Guernica' woven by Jacqueline de La Baume Dürrbach—one of three authorized by Picasso—displayed for the first time in Italy. Guttuso, a Sicilian artist and friend of Picasso, long argued that Picasso knew the Palermo fresco from photographs, a claim supported by a 1986 article where Guttuso stated Picasso confirmed seeing it. The exhibition also includes Guttuso's preparatory drawings and a digital display of documents. Research by Anne Baldassari suggests Picasso may have seen a photograph of the fresco from his collection of over 15,000 images, now at the Musée Picasso in Paris. The show positions Guttuso's 'Crocifissione' as a bridge between the two masterpieces, emphasizing shared compositional and thematic elements.