Mick Jagger took a photo with Picasso’s “Guernica” and the Reina Sofía had to explain

Mick Jagger visited the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid the day before yesterday and sparked a controversy on the networks: The Rolling Stones singer posted several photos of his walk through the Spanish capital on his Twitter account. Between them, one where he is seen standing in front of the famous painting “Guernica”, by Pablo Picasso. Immediately, the museum authorities had to explain why Jagger could be photographed in a room in which taking photographs is prohibited, according to its own regulations. A few years ago something similar happened with the visit of actor Pierce Brosnan.

Jagger took the opportunity to tour the Reina Sofía on the day the museum is closed to the public. The institution opened the doors of its majestic rooms for the exclusive visitor and her entourage. They were accompanied by the director of the museum, Manuel Borja-Villel. The problem is that the rules prohibit any visitor from being photographed with the painting. “It is not allowed to take photographs in the entire room 206 (Guernica). It is also not possible for visitors to take professional and/or private photographs unrelated to museum activity or to record images,” the museum reports on its official site. .

As soon as Jagger posted the photo, criticism from users began on Twitter. “Demigod advantage?” one asked. “They almost ripped my hand off the day I tried to photograph Guernica. But I’m not Mick Jagger, of course,” said another user.

The museum had to explain publicly and maintained that one of the reasons for not allowing photos in front of the painting is “the quality of the visit.” He assures that the norm was not issued to protect the work but to improve the comfort of the visitors and alleges that the painting does not suffer because the most frequent cameras are those of the cell phone and do not use the flash. Nor is it a question of rights, since the work is one of the most reproduced in the Spanish imaginary and artistic space without them receiving any compensation.

“It is a question of the quality of the visit, because people stayed for a quarter of an hour taking photos or beat other people with the stick of the selfie”, responded the museum. This is what usually happens every day in front of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in the Louvre: dozens of people crowded in front of the painting, putting their arms between their heads and struggling to pose next to the Italian’s muse. Such is the crowd, that last weekend the glass that covers the work received a smack from a visitor without the guards of the room preventing it.

The museum also warned that they receive millions of visits every day and that they do not persecute “everyone who wants to take a picture.” For this reason, they declare, there are ordinary visitors who also have their postcard in front of Guernica and in the remaining 90 percent of the museum, where they are allowed. “We try not to give it too much importance,” press spokesmen told Europa Press.

This is not the first time that controversy has broken out with a famous visitor. In 2016, the actor Pierce Brosnan was also involved in a similar situation due to a photo uploaded by the museum itself. At that time, due to the complaints, the Reina Sofía made public a statement on its Facebook profile in which it apologized for the discomfort of the users, explaining that the controversial photograph was “a communication action” like “many other similar ones made throughout the history” of the institution.

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