Picasson and military service Dear Modernist Picasso remained neutral during World War I the Spanish Civil War and World War II refusing to fight for any side or country As a Spanish citizen living in France Picasso was under no compulsion to fight against the invading Germans in either World War In the Spanish Civil War service for Spaniards living abroad was optional and would have involved a voluntary return to the country to join either side While Picasso expressed anger and condemnation of Francisco Franco and fascists through his art he did not take up arms against them He also remained aloof from the Catalan independence movement during his youth despite expressing general support and being friendly with activists within it This uncited paragraph has lingered here for some time but its point is not clear The fact that it s uncited warrants its removal And there s a POV lurking here but I can t seem to put my finger on it If you have no objection I ll remove it Mysweetoldetc