Ages 10 and up
15 minutes experience, available in French, English, Spanish and Mandarin
Price : 7 euros
Location : Museum Auditorium, open during museum hours (Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
From 8 April 2026 to 6 September 2026, the Musée national Picasso-Paris will present a unique virtual reality experience dedicated to the masterpiece Guernica.
The Metamorphoses of Guernica, offers a unique immersion into the heart of one of the major masterpieces of the 20th century. This experience traces the history of Pablo Picasso's monumental painting, from its commission for the 1937 International Exhibition in Paris to its status as an icon and symbol of peace.
The experience invites viewers to journey through a series of significant moments and places: the Spanish Republican Pavilion, where the work was first revealed to the public; the ruins of the Basque town of Gernika after the bombing that inspired the painting; the Parisian studio of the Grands-Augustins, where the work was created; and finally the various locations the canvas travelled to before its permanent installation at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid.
The narrative is carried by the voices of two privileged witnesses: that of the writer Juan Larrea, a member of the Spanish Republican delegation, and that of Dora Maar, a surrealist artist and the artist's companion, whose anti-fascist commitment was decisive in the birth of this political work and who documented the genesis of the work through a series of photographs.
At the crossroads of art history and sensory immersion, The Metamorphoses of Guernica offers a new way of understanding the history of this universally significant work, echoing the collections of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, which provide an overview of his entire oeuvre and preserve preliminary studies, archival documents and a body of work closely linked to the creation of Guernica.
« The Musée national Picasso-Paris wanted to complement the visit to its collections with a VR film presenting Guernica (1937), one of Picasso's major works. This painting, emblematic of his commitment against the Franco regime and an essential work in 20th century history, marks an important stage in his career. It was important to evoke it, using VR technology, within the world's largest public collection of Picasso's works. This immersive experience allows visitors to understand the historical context, complex genesis and widespread reception of this masterpiece, now housed at the Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, thanks to the archives and writing of director Nicolas Thépot (Lucid Realities) and the museum's scientific advisory board. », Cécile Debray, President of Musée national Picasso-Paris.
Presented in the auditorium of the hôtel Salé, this immersive experience also echoes the rooms on the third floor dedicated to Picasso during the Second World War, in the late 1930s and during the Occupation.
An exhibition presented with the support of VIVE Arts
Co-producers : Musée national Picasso-Paris, VIVE Arts
Distribution and exploitation : Unframed Collection
A virtual reality experience created by Nicolas Thépot