Figures of Anguish, Figures of Compassion: Pierre Daura and the Spanish Civil War

Catalan-American artist Pierre Daura was born in Menorca, Spain, in 1896 and raised and educated in Barcelona. Though he spent more than two decades living in Paris, exhibited his artwork throughout Europe, and eventually became an American citizen, Daura’s love for the people, culture, and landscapes of Catalonia remained strong.

After the fall of the Spanish monarchy following elections in 1931, Spain entered a period of growing political unrest. Deep political divisions emerged, the economy weakened, and democracy was under threat. Seeking to establish a military dictatorship, Francisco Franco and his Nationalist forces waged war against the democratically formed Second Spanish Republic.

Daura was a socially conscious and committed humanitarian. Through 1936, he worked with the Spanish Embassy to aid Loyalist refugees displaced by the violence and corresponded with his family in Spain to ensure their safety. Tormented by the news of increasing atrocity and destruction in his homeland, Daura enlisted in the Spanish Republican Army in January 1937. He was stationed in Teruel, Spain, one of the war’s most intense conflict areas in the country. By October, Daura had been promoted to lieutenant, but the Republican front was losing ground. After suffering an injury, he returned home to his family in St. Cirq, France. Franco and the Nationalists declared victory in March of 1939.

The Spanish Civil War marked a turning point in both Daura’s life and art. This exhibition spotlight presents work from the Taubman Museum of Art Permanent Collection that reflect Daura’s centering of human subjects amidst war or violence, as well as works that display his emotional sensitivity, social awareness, and desire for compassion.