Sculptures with soul in Gernika
On 26th April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the city of Gernika was swept to the ground by German and Italian planes from the Condor Legion and the Aviazione Legionaria, sent by Hitler and Mussolini to support Franco's troops. For nearly four hours, bombs dropped on Guernica in an "experiment" for blitzkrieg's tactics and the bombing of civilians seen in later wars.
Some sculptures in Gernika remind us of this event. The Park of the Peoples of Europe is the site of Moore's and Chillida's sculptures in Gernika Lumo. The Park also houses an Apel·les Fenosa’s memorial sculpture:
-Large Figure in a Shelter (1986) by the Bristish sculptor Heny Moore. This sculpture is typical of the themes and style of this artist, and the most significant example of his "inside/outside" motif. Cast in bronze, it weighs around 20 tonnes.
-Monument to Peace, by the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida. This figure, set up on 27th April 1988, was commissioned by the Basque Government to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Gernika. The title in Basque means "Our Father's House", and the work stands looking towards the Tree (the symbol of Basque traditions and history) as a monument to peace.
-Monument aux Martyrs d’Oradour-sur-Glane made by the Catalan sculptor Apel·les Fenosa. This sculpture set up in 2002 is a replique of the original one made in 1944-45 and opened in Oradour in 1995.
An other memorial sculpture in Guernika-Lumo is the one made by the Basque artist Nestor Barterretxea. Agony of fire (2012) is a sculpture in witness of the barbaric bombing suffered by Gernika on 26th April 1937.
These photos were taken in 2020 and show several views of these four sculptures.
