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The Dream and Lie of Franco I

Printer Roger Lacourière French
Publisher Pablo Picasso Spanish
1937
Not on view
The Dream and Lie of Franco I and its companion, The Dream and Lie of Franco II, form a damning condemnation of Francisco Franco, the fascist general who toppled the Republic during the Spanish Civil War and subsequently ruled as dictator of Spain for nearly four decades. Together, the two prints comprise an eighteen-scene narrative that was reproduced on postcards and sold to support the Republican government during the war. Picasso drew on his unique style of abstraction to impart the terror of war, representing Franco as an abject, monstrous figure throughout. The last four scenes, which were added after the Basque town of Guernica was leveled by bombs, relate to studies for his famed mural Guernica (1937) in the collection of the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Dream and Lie of Franco I
  • Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, Malaga 1881–1973 Mougins, France)
  • Printer: Roger Lacourière (French, 1892–1966)
  • Publisher: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, Malaga 1881–1973 Mougins, France)
  • Date: 1937
  • Medium: Etching and sugar-lift aquatint
  • Dimensions: plate: 12 7/16 x 16 9/16 in. (31.6 x 42.1 cm)
    sheet: 15 3/16 x 22 1/2 in. (38.6 x 57.2 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. E. Powis Jones, 1986
  • Object Number: 1986.1224.1(1)
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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