Francisco de Goya – Disasters of War
4 November 2025 - 18 January 2026
Venues
View the Virtual TourGrand Master's Palace
The Peninsular War (1808-1814) between France and Spain was a violent convulsion of anarchy, starvation and slaughter with long-lasting catastrophic effects. To have survived such a war was a remarkable feat in itself but Spanish artist Goya went much further, immortalizing the brutality of that conflict with a series of 80 etchings titled 'The Disasters of War'.
Heritage Malta is exhibiting prints of these engravings at the Grand Master’s Palace, thanks to the collaboration of Fundacion MAPFRE as well as MAPFRE Malta and the Bank of Valletta Foundation.
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) is considered to be the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This is the very first time in Malta that an entire exhibition is dedicated to his work.
The Disasters of War series (c.1810-15) is deemed as Goya’s personal reflection on the devastating effects of the war on the people, showing scenes that are raw and unsettling in their depiction of battlefield horror and dehumanization.
With this work, Goya breaks away from a number of painterly traditions. Indeed, The Disasters of War is the first example in the history of painting where war and its consequences are depicted not as heroic acts, but as the tragedy and barbarism that they truly stand for.
Albeit depicting the war in Spain, Goya’s images could relate to any war – which is what renders this exhibition incredibly powerful and of contemporary relevance.
Heritage Malta is exhibiting prints of these engravings at the Grand Master’s Palace, thanks to the collaboration of Fundacion MAPFRE as well as MAPFRE Malta and the Bank of Valletta Foundation.
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) is considered to be the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This is the very first time in Malta that an entire exhibition is dedicated to his work.
The Disasters of War series (c.1810-15) is deemed as Goya’s personal reflection on the devastating effects of the war on the people, showing scenes that are raw and unsettling in their depiction of battlefield horror and dehumanization.
With this work, Goya breaks away from a number of painterly traditions. Indeed, The Disasters of War is the first example in the history of painting where war and its consequences are depicted not as heroic acts, but as the tragedy and barbarism that they truly stand for.
Albeit depicting the war in Spain, Goya’s images could relate to any war – which is what renders this exhibition incredibly powerful and of contemporary relevance.