Exhibit - Goyas Disasters Of War

Spanish artist Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) gained widespread recognition, both during his lifetime and afterwards, for his revealing portraits of the Spanish Bourbon monarchy and for his powerful portrayals of the brutal repression of Spanish rebels against Napoleon in 1808.

In a series of 80 etchings posthumously entitled the Disasters of War (1810-1816), Goya graphically depicted the "fatal consequences of the bloody war in Spain with Bonaparte," as he entitled the set. These plates, printed in limited editions periodically into the 20th century, reveal the horrific episodes Goya himself witnessed during the conflict. On the 200th anniversary of the 1808 conflict, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art will present several images from this series, opening a window into the past while striking interesting comparisons to present-day conflicts. Borrowed from a local private collection, this exhibition will offer a rare opportunity to see an important and significant set of images by a major artist.

Date: July 19, 2008 - November 2, 2008