War Exhibitions

War exhibitions represented a distinct type of display. Held in numerous locations and sponsored by both sides, they served an essentially propagandistic function. Many different actors promoted these exhibitions due to their potential as tools of communication. The content touched on various aspects of the war, incorporating military objects (weapons, banners, trophies taken from the enemy…) as well as visual elements that depicted the reality of the war and its protagonists in all their dimensions—whether through artworks, recreated scenes, posters, and more.

The photograph shows a general view of the large War Exhibition held in the former Gran Kursaal of San Sebastián in August 1938, which remained open for several months—an unusual occurrence at the time. Triumphalist in tone and more ostentatious than the traveling “Exhibition of the National Document”, the exhibition aimed to demonstrate the military superiority of the Francoist army and to expose the international support received by the Republicans.

With a grandiose setup, the exhibition brought together artillery pieces and other machines of war alongside all kinds of weapons and ammunition. It was decorated with panels depicting battle scenes and reliefs of soldiers, all presided over by the ever-present painted portrait of Franco. A catalog was also published, and its extended edition included detailed descriptions of the items taken from the enemy.

In Republican territory, some of the most notable war exhibitions were those organized in Barcelona by the regional government of Catalonia: “7 Months of War” and “Madrid, One Year of Heroic Resistance”, as well as others promoted by the Army to depict life in the trenches and to showcase the cultural work it was carrying out among the soldiers.

IEG