Picasso's anti-war "Guernica" tapestry removed from U.N. headquarters after decades on display
By Pamela Falk
"Guernica" tapestry removed
For nearly 36 years, a tapestry depicting Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" adorned the wall at the entrance to the 15-nation Security Council chamber at the United Nations' New York headquarters. But the tapestry, a haunting and harsh reminder of the horrors of war, has since been removed and returned to its owner.
The tapestry was commissioned in 1955 by Nelson A. Rockefeller and was loaned to the United Nations in 1984, Chef de Cabinet Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti said in a letter to the Security Council's president. Viotti added that Rockefeller's son, Nelson A. Rockefeller Jr., had recently, "notified the United Nations of his intention to retrieve it," and said the tapestry was returned earlier this month.