The Pablo Iglesias Foundation's Poster Collection
Join us as we explore the posters kept in the archives of the Pablo Iglesias Foundation (Fundación Pablo Iglesias)—a collection that is key to our understanding of 20th-century political propaganda.
Spanish Republic. April 14th. 1931 (1931) by DubónPablo Iglesias Foundation
1. What is the Pablo Iglesias Foundation poster collection?
The collection of posters kept in the Pablo Iglesias Foundation's archives is one of the most important from the Second Spanish Republic. It contains 1,200 posters reflecting the politics of agitation and propaganda in Republican areas during the Spanish Civil War.
2. When was the peak period for political poster art?
The use of posters as a tool for political propaganda began to grow after World War I. The 1930s saw the emergence of a kind of poster art that incorporated a range of aesthetics to produce high-quality work influenced by Art Nouveau and Soviet constructivist posters.
Socialism will forge a new Spain (Circa 1937) by Augusto Fernández SastrePablo Iglesias Foundation
3. Who commissioned these posters?
The government of the Second Spanish Republic, political parties, trade unions, cultural associations, and charitable organizations all used poster art to spread information about their ideas and activities.
Tchapaief. The red guerrilla (Circa 1936) by RenauPablo Iglesias Foundation
4. Who were the artists behind these posters?
They included artists such as Dubón, Renau, Bardasano, Espert, Juana Francisca, Amster, and Fried-Feld, many of whom came from an advertising background. Other posters were the work of anonymous activists from different political organizations.
Popular Front. The 3 disgraces... (1936) by BagariaPablo Iglesias Foundation
5. When did they become significant in Spain?
The declaration of the Second Republic in April 1931, as well as election periods, saw increased use of posters for political propaganda. Numerous painters, designers, illustrators, and graphic designers put themselves in danger by creating these avant-garde posters.
All militias... (Circa 1937) by MelendrerasPablo Iglesias Foundation
6. How did the Spanish Civil War affect artists?
The involvement of these artists in the war led to a boom in the use of art as a tool to spread political propaganda. They were loyal to the Republican government and played a key role in its propaganda, becoming part of the ideological and physical battle against the fascism that was creeping across Europe.
The Rising Sun (1938) by UnknownPablo Iglesias Foundation
7. Where did the collection originate?
The archive of the Madrid Socialist Group (Agrupación Socialista Madrileña), where these posters were discovered, was seized by the Francoist authorities at the end of the Spanish Civil War with the aim of documenting the repression of members of political organizations.
After being held by the Military Historical Service (Servicio Histórico Militar) as part of the Liberation War Archive Red Documentation (as documents taken from the Republican Army were known), the posters were given to the Pablo Iglesias Foundation in 1987.
Improve the technical capacity of our military (1938) by Javier ClavoPablo Iglesias Foundation
8. Where did the posters come from?
Most of the posters in the collection are propaganda from central and eastern Spain, and were printed in Madrid and Valencia. The fact that most of the posters came from the Madrid Socialist Group explains why there are very few posters from elsewhere in Spain.
The Ministry of Public Instruction... (Circa 1937) by Mauricio AmsterPablo Iglesias Foundation
9. What themes does the collection cover?
This collection of posters from the Spanish Civil War allows viewers to see the conflict through different lenses, from a historical, ideological, political, or aesthetic perspective.
Illiteracy blinds... (Circa 1937) by WilaPablo Iglesias Foundation
As was the case during World War I, artists relied on their imagination to draw people's attention to traditional themes such as danger, politics, education, and hygiene.
Evacuate Madrid (Circa 1936) by CañavatePablo Iglesias Foundation
10. How were the posters made?
Poster production was a complex process. The slow printing process meant that artists were restricted to using three or four solid colors. The upside of this was that the colors were extremely bright and vivid.
Comrades! Take the places... (Circa 1937) by Juana / FranciscaPablo Iglesias Foundation
11. How are women represented in the collection?
Many of the posters depict activities that women did during the civil war, and these form an important part of the Pablo Iglesias Foundation's collection.
Through the FETE Cooperative... (Circa 1937) by Fried-FeldPablo Iglesias Foundation
12. What can we learn from the posters?
Looking at these posters, viewers can explore the power and sensitivity of the artists' work. They reveal the most ardent issues of the war as seen from the Republican side, reflecting the problems faced by people caught up in an armed conflict.
Art Camera digitization (2021)Pablo Iglesias Foundation
The posters were digitized in 2021 at the Pablo Iglesias Foundation offices.
