This photo taken on Jan. 13, 2026 shows an art work in the original first-edition prints of The Disasters of War by Spanish artist Francisco Goya during a public display in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)
As wars and armed conflicts continue to rise worldwide, a stark message from a two-century-old work of art resonated in Manhattan on Tuesday: there are no winners in war.Patrick Lenaghan, curator of prints and photographs at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, shared the view during a public display of Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War) by Spanish artist Francisco Goya.
"There are no winners in war," Lenaghan told Xinhua. "Both sides lose. Civilians lose. Humanity loses."
The presentation gave guests rare access to original first-edition prints from the series.
Goya created the 80-print series between 1810 and 1820, during Spain's war against Napoleonic France and the civil conflict later. Rather than depicting battlefield heroism or national triumph, the images portray executions, famine, displacement and moral collapse, often without clear national identifiers.
Lenaghan said the series shows how violence extends beyond armies to engulf civilians and society.
Although Goya completed the copper plates during the conflict, he did not publish the series in his lifetime. The first full edition was printed in 1863, 35 years after his death.
Lenaghan cautioned against reading the images too literally, saying Goya stripped away detail so the works could resonate beyond their original context.
He said that openness helps explain why the series continues to strike a chord today.
People attend a public display of the original first-edition prints of The Disasters of War by Spanish artist Francisco Goya in New York, the United States, on Jan. 13, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)
Patrick Lenaghan (R), curator of prints and photographs at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, speaks during a public display of the original first-edition prints of The Disasters of War by Spanish artist Francisco Goya in New York, the United States, on Jan. 13, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)
