The ban on photographing Picasso's 'Guernica' was lifted at the Reina Sofia, in an acceptable manner, without specifying the author.Permission to shoot Picasso's 'Guernica' at the Reina Sofia. There is no more prohibition, properly and without the author.

The Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid has lifted its ban on taking photos of "Guernica," hoping to improve the experience of viewing the anti-war painting. The museum still bans the use of tripods and selfie sticks for fear of damaging the painting.

For a long time, museum guards kept repeating, "No photos allowed!" But when one couple took selfies on Wednesday and another woman adjusted her hair, the guards relaxed and began offering advice about audio guides rather than yelling.

This month, the museum lifted a long-term ban on photographs of "Guernica," joining the Instagram era. However, flash, tripods and selfies sticks are still banned in room 205.10 to avoid damaging the painting.

"Permission to photograph 'Guernica' is intended to enhance the experience of viewing the painting, bringing it closer to the public and allowing what has long been possible in other museums," a spokesman for Reina Sofia wrote in an email.

The crowd in front of the Guernica

Ten minutes after the museum opened Wednesday, a crowd of about a dozen people gathered in front of "Guernica." Many of them stood next to the painting and then shifted for another perspective.

After 45 minutes, Ronny de Jong, a visitor from Rotterdam, Netherlands, scrutinized the painting, a black-and-white cubist work depicting the horrors of the Spanish Civil War that shocked those who saw it at the 1937 Paris World's Fair.

De Jong said he likes to preserve memories of his museum visits through photographs and is a little annoyed that the nearby Prado Museum, which houses many of Spain's most important works of art up to the 20th century, prohibits photography altogether.

He said: "I did take some pictures after all - secretly - and no one was hurt."

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

Ban on photography in museums

Reina Sofia doesn't explain the origin of the ban on photographing one particular painting, but museums have long struggled with the issue of preserving works and managing resources while trying to stay relevant to the public.

Nina Simon, author of Participating in the Museum, said that one of the reasons for banning photographs in museums was the fear that people would not visit museums in person if they could see images online. However, that fear has subsided, although there is still a real fear that works could be damaged by inattentive visitors and that their photos could fundamentally change the museum's program.

Simon said: “There is a concern that the museum becomes a backdrop for your perfect Instagram life, or that the museum is redesigning exhibitions to create great Instagram moments, which can be seen as a kind of cheapness.”

Along with loud security guards, visitors to the Reina Sofia were traditionally separated from the Guernica by a long partition extending the length of the painting.

But the painting, which Picasso loaned to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for decades while General Francisco Franco was in power in Spain, was not always so restricted. When it was exhibited at MoMA in 1974, the artist Tony Shafrazi, who later became a successful art dealer, inscribed “Kill All Liars” on the canvas in foot-high red letters.

The painting, which escaped permanent damage thanks to a thick layer of varnish, was returned to Spain in 1981.

One of Reina Sofia's visitors Wednesday, Richard Rottman of Los Angeles, called “Guernica” an important Picasso painting, shortly after a tap on his shoulder. “I was in the way of them taking a picture,” he said, laughing.