The Guernica painting was first exposed to the public in Paris. It was placed in the pavilion of the Spanish Republic at the International Exhibition. It was painted on behalf of the government of the Republic, Pablo Picasso, in order to internationally expose the situation of the 1936 War and obtain support.

Three months earlier, the Francoists, with the help of the German Nazis and the Italian fascists, represented the bombing that led to the massacre in Gernika. It soon became important and symbolizes the cruelty of war. The Guernica Gernika campaign requests that the painting be transferred from the Reina Sofía Museum of Madrid to the Biscayan municipality.