Spain returns Civil War-era paintings to former Madrid mayor's family

The government hands back artworks nearly 90 years after they were taken for safekeeping during the conflict.
Text: Óscar Ontañón Docal
Published 2025-05-23

The latest news on Spain. We now know that Spain has returned on Thursday evening seven 19th-century paintings to the family of Pedro Rico, the former mayor of Madrid, nearly nine decades after they were seized during the Spanish Civil War.

The artworks, once held in museums including the Prado, were officially handed over in a ceremony led by the Culture Minister. Authorities have spent years tracing thousands of items taken during the conflict that were never returned under Franco's regime.

Spain returns Civil War-era paintings to former mayor's family

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