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3w ago

Spain Returns Civil War-Seized Artworks to Pedro Rico’s Heirs

Seven paintings confiscated in 1938 were formally restituted in a Prado Museum ceremony, marking a significant step in Spain’s effort to address historical injustices under the Democratic Memory Law.

Cultura restituye 7 cuadros incautados durante la Guerra Civil a la familia de Pedro Rico
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Overview

  • The Ministry of Culture returned seven paintings to the grandchildren of Pedro Rico, the Republican-era mayor of Madrid, in a ceremony at the Prado Museum led by Minister Ernest Urtasun.
  • The artworks were seized in 1938 by the Republican Junta de Incautación for safekeeping during the Spanish Civil War but were never returned and became dispersed across several state museums.
  • Provenance research by the Dirección General de Patrimonio Cultural y Bellas Artes enabled the identification and restitution of the works, despite challenges like lost identification tags.
  • This restitution is part of a broader initiative under the 2022 Democratic Memory Law, which has identified over 6,000 cultural items seized during the war and aims to return them to rightful heirs.
  • The Ministry continues to expand its public inventory of confiscated items and pursue further restitutions, with two additional works set to be returned by the Asturias museum.