Montblanc association launches campaign to restore lost Civil War painting

The Associació Museu Arxiu de Montblanc i Comarca has launched a crowdfunding campaign to restore a large 19th-century painting that disappeared during the Spanish Civil War. The artwork, measuring approximately 2.5 by 2.5 metres, depicts the legend of the arrival of the Virgin of Montserrat to the Ducal Village by carriage.

The painting was exceptionally recovered years later through an antiquarian in Tarragona, but it remains in poor condition and is currently kept out of public view at the Comarcal Museum. The association aims to raise 10,000 euros to fund the restoration, with a minimum contribution of 10 euros per person. As of mid-August, half of the required funds have already been collected.

Researchers are also seeking information regarding the painting's history, specifically how it surfaced with an antiquarian in the 1960s and its whereabouts during its period of disappearance. The work originally belonged to the Monestir de la Mare de Déu de la Serra in Montblanc.