Pioneras Ilustradas II︎︎︎
University of Zaragoza
Curated by Patricia Diez Calvo
Spain, 2025 ︎︎︎ Zaragoza
In September 2025, the University of Zaragoza inaugurated Pioneras Ilustradas II, the second edition of an exhibition that brings together 15 female illustrators from Aragón. The project highlights the stories of pioneering women who studied at the university between 1856 and 1936, many of whom have remained overlooked in historical narratives.
For this edition, I was invited to portray Asunción Martínez Bara (1904–1959), born in Huesca and a graduate in Philosophy and Letters (History) in 1923. After her studies, she worked at the Instituto Escuela in Madrid and later joined the National Library of Spain. During the Spanish Civil War, she played an active role in safeguarding cultural heritage, collaborating with María Moliner in Valencia, where she was appointed librarian of the Instituto Obrero. Following the war, she was sanctioned and transferred to Soria, before eventually returning to Huesca, where she directed the Public Library and contributed to the creation of the Provincial Library Coordination Center.
My contribution to the exhibition consists of a portrait and a contextual illustration that emphasize her role as a documentalist and defender of cultural and literary heritage. In the artwork, she is depicted holding books close to her, as they merge with her dress—symbolizing the profound mark they left on her life and legacy.
This project is part of a broader effort to recover and celebrate the memory of women whose contributions to education, culture, and knowledge have too often been forgotten.
For this edition, I was invited to portray Asunción Martínez Bara (1904–1959), born in Huesca and a graduate in Philosophy and Letters (History) in 1923. After her studies, she worked at the Instituto Escuela in Madrid and later joined the National Library of Spain. During the Spanish Civil War, she played an active role in safeguarding cultural heritage, collaborating with María Moliner in Valencia, where she was appointed librarian of the Instituto Obrero. Following the war, she was sanctioned and transferred to Soria, before eventually returning to Huesca, where she directed the Public Library and contributed to the creation of the Provincial Library Coordination Center.
My contribution to the exhibition consists of a portrait and a contextual illustration that emphasize her role as a documentalist and defender of cultural and literary heritage. In the artwork, she is depicted holding books close to her, as they merge with her dress—symbolizing the profound mark they left on her life and legacy.
This project is part of a broader effort to recover and celebrate the memory of women whose contributions to education, culture, and knowledge have too often been forgotten.