Chilean Protest Murals

Documenting the spirit, force, and iconography of political protest during the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
Mural depicting a man and woman in a prison cell. Photo by Andrés Romero Spethman. 1989–1990. View Details.
Widener Library

Many hundreds of protest murals were created in Chile during the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet from 1973 to 1990.

Mural depicting the torso of a man breaking free from chains around his wrists.
Mural depicting the torso of a man breaking free from chains around his wrists. PHOTO BY ANDRÉS ROMERO SPETHMAN, 1987. View Details.
Widener Library

The photographer Andrés Romero Spethman worked alongside muralist brigades representing political parties such as the Partido Socialista and the Izquierda Cristiana.

Created in and around Santiago between 1983 and 1990, the murals document the spirit, force, and iconography of political protest during an important period of Chilean history. Common pictorial themes were the Moneda Palace in flames, images of the deposed president Salvador Allende, the martyred musician Víctor Jara and the poet Pablo Neruda.

Most of these murals were destroyed by government authorities soon after their creation.

Accessing These Materials

Andrés Romero Spethman's negatives have been cataloged and digitized and are available through HOLLIS.