Cartoons to Remember. Cartoons published in the Bilbao newspapers during the war in the Basque Country (1936-37)

The Gernika Peace Museum has opened to the public an interesting temporary exhibition entitled ”Cartoons to Remember. Cartoons published in the Bilbao newspapers during the war in the Basque Country (1936-37)” curated by historians Aline Soberon and Txema Uriarte.

The exhibition “’Viñetas para el recuerdo”’ (Cartoons to remember) is the result of an in-depth research work by historians Txema Uriarte and Aline Soberón into the vignettes that appeared in the Bilbao press during the 11 months of the war on Basque soil. As a result, the exhibition “’Humor in times of war-Guda garaiko umorea”’ was held in Bilbao together with the Bilbao City Council and BilbaoIzan. Subsequently, and with the collaboration of the Encartaciones Museum, a new one was produced, “’Cartoonists at war-Marrazkilariak gerran”’ of which we can see part in the exhibition that is now on display at the Gernika Peace Museum. As a culmination of this research, the book of the same name “‘Viñetas para el recuerdo”’ was published, in which more than 300 of the collected cartoons are shown, redrawn one by one by Aline.

The exhibition ‘Cartoons to Remember: Cartoons published in the Bilbao newspapers during the war in the Basque Country (1936- 37)’ reveals the other face of the war that took place in 1936.

Desde finales del siglo XVIII la prensa escrita de las metrópolis insertaba viñetas en sus páginas principales para ilustrar o editorializar una noticia. Por tanto, las viñetas son dibujos artísticos, en muchos casos realizados con premura, que desarrollan, normalmente de forma humorística, un acontecimiento o una reflexión.

Through a selection of cartoons grouped into three general themes (bombings, daily life and the international situation), the exhibition shows how cartoonists publishing in the Bilbao newspapers during the 11 months that the conflict raged on Basque soil interpreted that historic moment.

As could not be otherwise, Gernika is present in these cartoons. Its bombing, unjustified and unjustifiable, reflects a new way of waging war that has been perpetuated to the present day. For many reasons Gernika is a symbol for people and peoples who are obstinately in search of freedom.