The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya explores the fate of an iconic painting damaged by time and censorship in an exhibition merging historical memory and technology. 🎨🏛️

The exhibition centres on Milicià ferit, created by artist Francisco Mateos during the Spanish Civil War to denounce the conflict's cruelty and exalt soldier fraternity.

🎨 Exhibition "Milicià ferit: el rescat d'una obra insalvable"

📅 From 7 May to 31 December 2026

🕐 May to September: Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 15:00. October to April: Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 15:00

📍 Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, s/n, Barcelona

🎟️ General: €12 / Reduced: €8.40

📖 An unrecoverable artwork recreated using artificial intelligence

Conceived for the Spanish Republican Pavilion at the 1937 Paris International Exposition—where Picasso's Guernica was also displayed—the work returned in 1938 and was never exhibited again due to Francoist censorship and irreversible deterioration.

To restore the expressive power of the original message, the exhibition showcases a visual recreation generated using artificial intelligence, while explaining the material causes of degradation and required conservation monitoring.

🎨 Francisco Mateos and the 1937 Pavilion

The exhibition delves into the material reasons behind the decline of this propaganda painting and the boundaries of heritage conservation when facing works that cannot be saved by traditional means.

ℹ️ Good to know: Closed on Mondays (except public holidays). Annual closure on 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December. Free admission for under-16s, over-65s, unemployed individuals, disabled visitors, and accredited G.C. teachers.

✨ A rigorous look into heritage rescue and the memory of historical propaganda art.