Featuring a complete set of the first published edition of etchings produced by canonical Spanish painter Francisco de Goya, The Disasters of War documents the horrors of the Peninsular War of 1808–14 between Spain and France under Napoleon Bonaparte. The 81 aquatint etchings, 80 numbered works from the series and one working proof, are grouped into three main sections: the effects of war, the Madrid famine of 1811–12, and the disappointment at the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. Because of their criticism of both France and the restored Bourbon monarchy, these works were not published until 1863, three decades after Goya’s death. The etchings explore such themes as carnage, conflict, famine, heroism and retribution. The exhibition presents new scholarship on the series, reviving Goya’s original intentions for the order in which it is to be seen, interspersing themes of war’s impact on city and countryside.

Goya: The Disasters of War is a collaboration of Pomona College Museum of Art and the University Museums of the University of Delaware. It is curated by Janis Tomlinson, director, University Museums, and circulated by the Pomona College Museum of Art.

This exhibition contains graphic depictions of war and may not be suitable for all audiences.