Painting Picasso; Spain celebrates the 25th anniversary of the return of "Guernica" with a dazzling tribute to its creator.(Pablo Picasso)

Byline: Tara Pepper

When Pablo Picasso was asked to paint the centerpiece for Spain's pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair, no one expected him to create what remains one of art's most disquieting depictions of war. But stunned by an exhibit of black-and-white photographs documenting the recent massacre of inhabitants of a small Basque village, Picasso could think of little else. He rushed home from the show and began to paint.

The resulting work, "Guernica," did not win many plaudits at a show designed to celebrate modern technology. And although Picasso always intended it to belong to Spain, the vast work was shipped around the world for more than four decades. In keeping with the artist's wishes, the painting found a permanent home in Madrid only after "democratic institutions" were installed in Spain, in 1981. Now, to celebrate 25 years since "Guernica's" return, and the 125th anniversary of Picasso's birth, Spain's two national museums, the Prado and the Reina Sofia, have joined forces to present a comprehensive new exhibit exploring his life and work. "Picasso: Tradition and Avant-Garde" (from June 6 through Sept. 3) is spread across the two galleries and includes more than 100 works from museums around the world.

The Prado offers a comprehensive overview, from Picasso's early Blue Period, to the development of cubism, to his interest in surrealism. His works flank the Prado's endless gallery, while those of old masters such as El Greco and Diego VelAzquez run through the middle of the hall. The Reina Sofia takes a monographic approach, focusing on "Guernica" and the numerous sketches Picasso made for it.

Few artists have carved their own style as dramatically as Picasso did. Yet this exhibit adopts a surprising perspective. Picasso trained as a classical artist and traveled widely around Europe, visiting public galleries like the Louvre to soak up the art of the past. From his earliest works, the exhibit shows, Picasso drew on the works of the old masters, making their forms uniquely his own. It also provocatively ...