Home / Events / Will Truth Be Resurrected? – Goya's The Disasters of War, the Complete Set

Will Truth Be Resurrected? – Goya's The Disasters of War, the Complete Set

Until May 26

Artists

Francisco de Goya

The Disasters of War is a print series created by the Spanish artist Francisco de Goya (1746-1828). The war portrayed is the 1808-1814 Spanish War of Independence, and the series depicts battle scenes, ordinary citizens suffering in those settings, and political satire. Goya stepped beyond simply depicting the Spanish people’s resistance to the outrages committed by the French army. Instead he was unstinting, turning an amazingly cool eye on the horrors created by the maelstrom called war. These masterworks deliver a universal message across the centuries as they reveal the darkest depths of human existence.

This series was not published during Goya’s lifetime, and it wasn’t until 1863 that the first edition of 80 prints was put on sale in Madrid. The NMWA acquired a complete set of the first edition in 1993, and since then has often exhibited prints from the series. In 2017, two numbered sheets not included in the first edition were acquired. And yet, to date, only 37 of these 82 works in the NMWA collection have been displayed. This exhibition will introduce all 82 prints, both the complete series and the two additional sheets.

As is well known today, in February 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine, and in October 2023, war broke out between Israel and the Palestinians. Goya’s etchings of visually painful tragedies are not simply events of the distant past, but issues confronted today.

Schedule

Now in session

Feb 27 (Tue) 2024-May 26 (Sun) 2024 29 days left