War and Peace (La Guerre et la Paix)

Pablo Picasso, 1952–1954

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About This Work

Created in 1952 within Pablo Picasso’s Fournas studio in Vallauris, War and Peace (La Guerre et la Paix) comprises two monumental painted panels executed in oil on wood isorel, each measuring 470 by 1020 centimeters. Commissioned for the vaulted Romanesque chapel of the Château de Vallauris, which serves as the Musée national Pablo Picasso, the diptych unfolds across opposing sanctuary walls, reading visually from right to left. The War panel depicts a grim, dark allegorical procession led by horned figures on war horses trampling shields and texts beneath oppressive skies. Conversely, the Peace panel radiates vibrant azure tones, featuring pastoral scenes, a winged horse pulled by a child ploughman, dancing figures, symbolic animals such as owls and doves, and playful motifs that celebrate fertility, harmony, and eternal renewal. Together, these monumental works merge classical mythological symbolism with post-war socio-political urgency.

Executed between 1952 and 1954 during Picasso’s pivotal years in Vallauris on the French Riviera, War and Peace reflects the artist's deep political engagement and fervent participation in the international peace movement of the post-World War II era. Preceded by approximately 300 preparatory drawings, the project transformed the twelfth-century Romanesque chapel of the Château de Vallauris into a secular Temple of Peace. Picasso donated the monumental installation to the French State in 1956, and it was officially inaugurated in 1959. By juxtaposing the devastating horrors of conflict with idyllic visions of human harmony, agricultural labor, and creative freedom, Picasso advanced a universal call for disarmament and international reconciliation. The installation stands as a crowning achievement of his later career, synthesizing monumental public muralism with deeply personal political convictions. The documented holding collection is Musée national Pablo Picasso, Vallauris, France; its direct institutional object record (https://musees-nationaux-alpesmaritimes.fr/picasso/en) is retained as the factual source for the catalog entry and its provenance trail.

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