International Conference on Heritage and War, structured around three thematic axes: heritage in times of war, heritage in post-war contexts, and restitution and memory. Organized by the Institut Català de Recerca en Patrimoni Cultural (ICRPC), the Centre de Recerca de Catalunya (CERCA) and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), within the framework of the museum’s programme Art, War and Memory.

The devastating effects of the Spanish Civil War on cultural heritage are well known, as are the policies implemented by the Republican Government and the Generalitat of Catalonia to protect public and private artistic and scientific treasures. However, the period following the exile of the Republican institutions — when cultural heritage was absorbed by the Franco regime — remains the most obscure and raises the most unresolved questions.

With the aim of advancing towards a new understanding of the impact of the conflict on heritage, the conference will focus on the actions of the Servicio de Defensa del Patrimonio Artístico Nacional (SDPAN) in Catalonia, which began its interventions following the fall of Lleida (April 1938) and continued until the full occupation of Catalonia (February 1939).