Goya and the Age of Revolution

Beginning in the late 18 th century, three interconnected revolutions transformed the world. Supported by Spain and France, the American Revolution (1775–1783), would inspire the French Revolution (1787–1799), which led to the rise of Napoleon, who invaded Spain in 1808, sparking the Spanish War of Independence, known as the Peninsular War (1808–1814). All three conflicts impacted the life and work of Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746 – 1828). The artist painted the portraits of at least two protagonists of the American Revolution: Admiral Jose de Mazarredo (ca. 1785, private collection) and General Francisco de Saavedra (1798, The Courtauld, London). Enlightenment and Revolution, hoping they would transform Spanish society. Caught in the middle of the Peninsular War, he captured acts of heroism and atrocity in a series of 82 prints executed between 1810 and 1820 known as the Disasters of War . From the promise of egalitarianism to the horrors of battle, the story of revolution animates some of Goya's most powerful works. To mark the 250 th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence , the present installation displays a selection of works by Francisco de Goya and his circle broaching the subject of war, revolution, and independence.