A recently published book, Sixena. Les claus del conflicte (Ed. Base, 2026), coordinated by historian Josep M. Figueres, brings together nine expert authors to challenge Spain’s legal and political campaign to reclaim medieval frescoes currently housed at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona. The frescoes, originally from the monastery of Sixena in Huesca, Aragon, were removed in the 1940s after the building was severely damaged during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish state, backed by the regional government of Aragon, has pursued legal action to have the artworks returned, a move critics describe as politically motivated.

Historical Evidence Undermines Official Narrative

Contributors to the book include specialists in art history, law, and medieval studies, such as Maria Bonet Donato, catedràtica d’Història Medieval, and Carmen Berlabé, doctora en Ciències Jurídiques. They argue that the narrative promoted by Spanish authorities, that Catalans destroyed the monastery, is false. Joaquim Graupera, art historian, states that the monastery was burned in 1936 by local residents amid anti-clerical violence during the Civil War. A 1940 municipal document names ten local men as suspects, all from the Sixena area. The authors stress that no evidence implicates Catalans in the destruction.

Preservation Conditions Favour MNAC

Rosa M. Gasol i Fargas, a doctor in Art History, explains that the chapter house at Sixena has suffered centuries of structural moisture, salt crystallisation, and erosion. In contrast, the frescoes at MNAC are preserved at a stable 22°C and 59% humidity. Xavier Muñoz i Puiggròs, who represented the Generalitat in legal proceedings, notes the chapter house remained roofless from 1936 until the 1990s, exposing any remaining fragments to the elements for six decades.

Criticism of Catalan Government's Inaction

Alberto Velasco i González, another contributor, criticises the Catalan government under President Salvador Illa for not appealing to the European Court of Human Rights, calling it a political decision aligned with the Spanish government’s 'reencuentro' agenda. He highlights that it was a private legal group, Acció Cassandra, led by lawyers Lluís Gibert and Josep Rosell, that brought the case to the Constitutional Court, not the Catalan administration. Josep Cruanyes, historian and author of the book’s epilogue, accuses the Generalitat of failing its legal duty by accepting a ruling that violated fundamental rights to a fair trial and proper judicial competence.

Political Dimensions of the Dispute

The book identifies deep-rooted catalanophobia and Spanish ultranationalism in Aragon’s stance, and expresses dismay that the Catalan government, under Illa, has cooperated with what the authors describe as a campaign of cultural expropriation. Víctor Alexandre, in his analysis for Racó Català, draws a parallel with the 2017 seizure of 44 artworks from Lleida by Spain’s Guardia Civil under Article 155, citing Illa’s past participation in far-right demonstrations. He also criticises Spain’s Culture Minister, Ernest Urtasun, for supporting the removal of the Sixena frescoes while opposing the transfer of Picasso’s Guernica to the Basque Country, a contradiction, Alexandre argues, that reveals the limits of Spain’s cultural tolerance: all contested art must remain within Spanish state control.

The book, just over 220 pages, is divided into three sections: 'History', 'Facts and Data', and 'The Conflict'. It is presented as an accessible yet rigorous resource for understanding one of Spain’s most sensitive cultural disputes.

Reported by Racó Català.