The controversy erupted after Aitor Esteban, president of the PNV's EBB, responded on social media to statements made by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who had described the idea of temporarily moving the Guernica to Euskadi as “provincial”.
“"What is truly 'provincial' is that your main national demand is to have a beer on a terrace."
According to Ayuso, the transfer of this artwork stems from “blind, absurd, and provincial nationalist pretensions,” which she also considers “a crude political maneuver.” In response to these criticisms, Esteban emphasized that historical memory does not align with what he termed a “provincial act,” referring to the Madrid president's main national demand being “to have a beer on a terrace.”
Last week, the Basque Government formally requested Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun to temporarily transfer Pablo Picasso's Guernica to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao between October 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027. This request coincides with the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the first Basque Government and the bombing of Gernika.
However, a recent report from the Reina Sofía Museum has been made public, which “emphatically” advises against carrying out such a transfer.
