Call for Papers
Annual Symposium of the Goya Research Center
Hispanic Society Museum & Library
Friday, September 25, 2026
The French army, under Napoleon Bonaparte, invaded Spain in 1808, sparking the Spanish War of Independence. Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828), a court painter at the time, experienced the conflict firsthand. Around 1810, Goya began to etch scenes inspired by the war, which would eventually become known as Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War). In these prints, he starkly depicted the destruction, violence, and atrocities that soldiers and civilians alike experienced. The eighty plates open with moments from the invasion of Zaragoza in 1808 and the famine in Madrid (1811–1812) and conclude with fierce critiques of aristocrats and clergy in the final prints, the “emphatic caprices.” The etchings challenged conventional ways of understanding and representing war, which typically endowed military action with a positive moral connotation. Goya’s images, in contrast, offer a raw and frightening portrait of the subject by foregrounding its violence and destructive consequences. While depicting a specific conflict, they remained emblematic of the horrors of war since they were first published in 1863.
As we witness the devastations of the global conflicts unfolding in our own time, it seems appropriate to revisit The Disasters of War and consider the ways in which Goya and other artists have depicted or otherwise have confronted the subject. Graduate Students and emerging scholars are invited to submit proposals on this topic for presentation at the Annual Symposium of the Goya Research Center, which will take place at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library on Friday, September 25, 2026. The symposium organizers welcome papers that consider the depiction of war through the lens of Goya’s work or take his images as a point of departure for broader considerations.
All proposals must be anchored in Goya’s legacy and include a significant discussion of his art.
Topics May Include but Are Not Limited to:
- Interpretations of The Disasters of War and Goya’s artistic practice
- Francisco Goya and his influence on artistic representations of war
- Representations of war in the graphic arts
- Art and anti-war activism
- Depictions and ethical issues of punishment
- The triumph of the irrational and the disappearance of reason
Who Can Apply?
PhD candidates in art history and adjacent disciplines, as well as emerging scholars who have received their PhD in the last five years, are eligible to apply.
How to Apply?
Proposals consisting of a title, an abstract of no more than 250 words, and a CV should be sent as a single PDF to ramirezbolivar@hispanicsociety.org. The deadline for applications is Friday, May 1, 2026. We will notify accepted speakers by the end of May.
Are Travel Grants Available?
Travel stipends for up to $750 will be available for panelists whose proposals are accepted.
About the Hispanic Society Museum & Library
Founded in 1904 by Archer Milton Huntington, the Hispanic Society of America was established as a free, public museum and reference library dedicated to the study of the arts, literature, and cultures of the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America, and the Philippines. Located on Audubon Terrace in Upper Manhattan, New York City, the institution has assembled extraordinary collections that preserve and celebrate the rich legacy of the Hispanic world.