Photographing Picasso's 'Guernica' at the Reina Sofia Museum is allowed

The Reina Sofia art museum in Madrid has lifted a ban on photographing Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" painting, hoping to improve the experience of viewing the anti-war painting.

In the past, visitors to the Reina Sofia were strictly forbidden from taking photos of the painting "Guernica," but now museum guards have become more lenient and are even sharing tips about audio guides instead of yelling at visitors. However, flash, tripods and selfies sticks are still prohibited in room 205.10 to avoid damaging the painting.

"Allowing photographs of 'Guernica' is intended to enhance the experience of viewing the painting, bring it closer to the public and allow them to do what has long been allowed at other museums," spokesperson Reina Sofia wrote in an email.

Within ten minutes of the museum's opening on Wednesday, about a dozen people had gathered in front of the painting "Guernica." Many stood close to the painting and then changed position to get a different angle.

Visitor Ronnie de Jong from Rotterdam, Netherlands, spent about 45 minutes enjoying this black and white cubist painting depicting the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. Ronnie said he likes to preserve memories of his visits to the museum through photographs, and he was a little annoyed by the ban on photography at the neighboring Prado Museum. He took some photos of the Guernica in secret and did not harm anyone.

Another visitor, Flavia Morelli from Rimini, Italy, approved of Reina Sofia's decision to allow photographs of the Guernica. "I think it's a way to create a stronger connection between people of different levels of culture and art," she said.

Reina Sofia did not explain why a particular painting was previously banned. Many museums face the challenge of art conservation and resource management while trying to remain relevant to the public. For example, photography is banned in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, and in some special exhibitions in museums, pictures are banned because of copyright or problems with the transfer of exhibits.

Simone Nina, author of "Participating in the Museum," said one of the reasons for the ban on photography in museums was the fear that people would stop visiting museums in person if they could see images online. However, that fear has now diminished.

For visitors to the Reina Sofia, the painting "Guernica" used to be separated by a long partition that extends along the painting. But the painting, which Picasso donated to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for many years while Francisco Franco was in power in Spain, was not always so limited. When it was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in 1974, artist Tony Shafrazi, who later became a successful art dealer, ripped red letters about a foot high on the canvas with the words "Kill Everybody's Lies" in red paint. Thanks to a thick layer of varnish, the painting escaped permanent damage and was returned to Spain in 1981.

Sima Rao, head of Brilliant Idea Studio, a firm specializing in creating museum displays, said museums must learn to meet the demands of visitors who have come from all over the world to see works such as "Guernica." "If you can't hold onto it, it doesn't matter, it doesn't seem valuable," she said.

"Museums are essentially becoming dinosaurs," Seema Rao continued. - "They're way behind the times. To be part of society, they need to update their policies. "

One of Reina Sofia's visitors, Richard Rottman of Los Angeles, called "Guernica" an important Picasso painting, right after someone tapped him on the shoulder. "I was in the way of their pictures," he said, laughing.