PICASSO’S Weeping Woman is proving a big draw at new exhibition which places the spotlight on the response of British artists to the Spanish Civil War.

Conscience and Conflict: British Artists and the Spanish Civil War, a partnership exhibition with Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, has opened at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle.

The Spanish Civil War (1936−39) inspired memorable accounts by George Orwell and other writers, but this is the first major exhibition to explore the reaction of British visual artists.

While many went to fight in the war themselves, others created posters campaigning for aid for refugees, or created works that made fierce political statements.

The show also looks at their connection with European artists and includes stand-out art by Pablo Picasso, Edward Burra, Wyndham Lewis, and Surrealist artists John Armstrong and Merlyn Evans.

It is the first time that many of these works have been brought together, and some of the works have not been shown in public for several decades.

Julie Milne, chief curator of art galleries for Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, said: “The new show is the first major exhibition of its kind, really exploring the way a generation of artists were drawn into the Spanish Civil War.

“It contains influential work by some iconic modern artists and we are very pleased to be able to bring it to the region.”

The Spanish Civil War was one of the most significant conflicts of the twentieth century. It was fought between supporters of the democratically-elected Spanish Republican government and a rebel Nationalist force led by General Franco.

Picasso’s painting of Weeping Woman (1937) was part of the artist’s response to the slaughter of civilians when German planes bombed the Basque town of Guernica on behalf of Franco.

Admission is £6, £5.40 for senior citizens and £4.80 for concessions. For more information visit www.laingartgallery.org.uk.