Art, war and memory
War has been a central theme at the MNAC for years, especially since 2021 with the opening of the rooms dedicated to art produced during the Spanish Civil War.
The Museum is present, and unfortunately current events are strongly marked by the tragedy of war and the systematic violation of human rights. We are living in a time of great political polarization, with a serious setback in values and rights that we believed to be untouchable.
From October 2025 to June 2026, the MNAC is presenting new additions to its collection, three exhibitions, and a programme of activities within a new project titled Art, War and Memory.
Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, from October 8, 2025 to January 11, 2026, the exhibition presents the artist Mario Armengol, one of the most internationally published Catalan caricaturists and, paradoxically, almost unknown to the general public.
From October 8, 2025 to January 11, 2026.
This exhibition highlights some of the finest draftsmen in the MNAC collections, in this case through satirical and denunciatory illustrations about the First World War.
From October 8, 2025 to January 11, 2026.
The MNAC becomes the leading institution for the visual work of Helios Gómez, thanks to a significant donation from his son, Gabriel Gómez Plana. The collection offers a broad representation of the artist’s creative output and moments, from the 1920s through the postwar period and into the 1950s.
Since 2025 – Rooms 74, 75, 77 and 78.
During the years of the war, many artists chose not to remain neutral: art became a powerful weapon to raise awareness and gain support for one political cause or another.
Despite the dramatic conditions of the context, this mobilisation led to the culmination of some of the aspirations of modern and avant-garde art. War as a subject developed an entire iconographic programme, featuring themes such as the front line, aerial bombings, massacres, and civilian evacuations.
The Art, War and Memory programme includes a series of activities such as guided tours, lectures, live podcasts, and art workshops. It also features activities organised by the Friends of the National Museum Foundation, some of them exclusive to members. Throughout the season, the schedule will be published here so you don’t miss any activity. Keep it handy!
“Drawings from the National Museum” seen by… Albert Martí
The construction of the image of the enemy and graphic humour
The role of art and artists in armed conflicts runs through the Museum’s collection, exhibitions, and public programmes. Below, we offer a selection of what we have carried out in this field in recent years.
Video: Roser Cambray explains the photographer’s early years
Video: Arnau Gonzàlez talks to us about photo captions
Video: Guided tour: The endless war. Antoni Campañà
Video: “The Endless War. Antoni Campañà”. Jesús Galdón: The designer tells us about “The 1001 Stories from Nowhere”
Video: Making of the exhibition “The Endless War. Antoni Campañà”
Video: Aeronautics [Inner Flight], by Francesc Torres. Presentation of the installation
Museum in danger! Safeguarding and organisation of Catalan art during the Spanish Civil War
Online exhibition: The imprint of women artists in postwar Barcelona
Exhibition: “Creators in Residence”: Svantje Busshoff at Institut Vall d’Hebron
Online visits: Spaces and narratives of the Spanish Civil War
Podcast: Subversive soundscapes: voices, guerrillas and LGTBI refuges
ART, CONFLICT, MEMORY, DESTRUCTION AND SAFEGUARDING OF HERITAGE
Online academic conference: Art in danger! Heritage and safeguarding during the Spanish Civil War







