The Two Spains in the 1937 Paris International Exposition

Between May and November 1937, Paris hosted the International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life, organized by the Bureau of International Expositions. Hoping to garner the sympathy of the international community, the Spanish government took part with a project that highlighted the social progress achieved under the Second Republic. Key to this approach was the involvement of figures such as Spain’s ambassador to France, Luis Araquistáin; the Director General of Fine Arts, Josep Renau; and the rector of the Central University of Madrid, José Gaos, who served as commissioner.

After a delayed inauguration in July, the Spanish pavilion, a modern design by Luis Lacasa and Josep Lluís Sert, housed various sections showcasing Republican activity, with a strong emphasis on the promotion of culture. The visual arts section brought together a thoroughly representative collection of war realism, displaying works across various disciplines, all unmistakably centered on themes of war. Alongside pieces such as Black Planes by Horacio Ferrer, Juana Francisca Rubio’s Hero, the The Siege of Madrid series by Francisco Mateos, or Ricard Boix’s large relief Songez à la douleur d’Espagne, were works by internationally renowned artists whose contributions demonstrated that avant-garde art and political commitment were by no means incompatible: Picasso’s Guernica, Julio González’s Montserrat, Joan Miró’s The Reaper, and Alberto’s monolith. The magnificent rationalist building also featured popular handicrafts, large photomontage panels, audiovisual projections, and folklore performances, becoming the finest showcase for the extensive cultural efforts undertaken by the Republican government.

Francoist Spain also managed to take part in the International Exposition thanks to an invitation extended by the Holy See to participate in the foreign section of the Vatican Pavilion. There, the other Spain was given space in one of the small annexes adjoining the main building, which it used to glorify its particular religious crusade.

Presiding over the altar like a painted altarpiece was the baroque-inspired Intercession of Saint Teresa of Jesus in the Spanish Civil War, a massive oil painting measuring six and a half meters high by three and a half meters wide, painted by José María Sert (a relative of the architect of the Spanish Pavilion). The image shows the appearance of the altar designed by architect Paul Tournon and Sert’s painting, which is now housed in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia. Through this surreptitious presence, just a few dozen meters from the official Spanish Pavilion, visitors to the International Exposition could encounter the other perspective on the Spanish Civil War.

IEG