We spoke to Heritage Malta's COO about the Disasters of War exhibition at the Grand Master’s Palace
Works by the late Spanish master Francisco de Goya are being exhibited in Malta for the first time.
Heritage Malta’s ‘Disasters of War’ exhibition features a set of 80 prints that Goya produced in the early 19th century when he served as first artist to the Spanish crown during the Napoleonic wars.
They are considered innovative in scope since Goya didn’t depict war as a heroic endeavour but as immense suffering inflicted on regular people due to decisions taken by others.
Goya even depicted the decision-leaders of the time, including government and Church authorities, as monstrous beings.
And although he was inspired by his personal experiences of war, there is a lack of context to the pieces, making them feel just as relevant in 2026 as they must have felt hundreds of years ago.
“He portrayed war for what it always was, and what unfortunately it will always be,” Heritage Malta COO Kenneth Gambin told GuideMeMalta during a visit to the exhibition.
“War is always the result of ignorance and it always produces the same results.”
The exhibition is on display at the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta until 18th January.