Retrospective on photographer Bruce Davidson opens in Barcelona

Barcelona (CNA).- The non-profit institution Fundación MAPFRE in Barcelona is to host the ‘Bruce Davidson’ exhibition, heralding the first retrospective dedicated to the American photographer to be held in Spain. The exhibition opens on Saturday, the 28^th of May, until the 28^th of August. Then, it will continue its international tour in the Netherlands and Italy. Bruce Davidson, a member of the prestigious photography co-op Magnum, has more than fifty years of uninterrupted work behind him. This retrospective features his most important pieces and series in chronological order; also included is the artist’s never-before-featured new work, which focuses on the nature of the world’s metropolises. This is the “most comprehensive (exhibition) on his work in the world”, explained the curator of the exhibition, Carlos Gollonet. Indeed, what’s peculiar about this exhibition is that along with a complete chronology of the artist’s trajectory, one can trace a map of American photography from the second half of the twentieth century, added the curator.

The exhibition includes, in chronological order, the most important images from more than fifty uninterrupted years of the artist’s work, including some of the most famous series by Davidson such as ‘Brooklyn Gang’, ‘East 100th Street’ and ‘Time of Change: Civil Rights Movement’. In addition, the photographer’s latest works (‘Nature of Paris’ and ‘Nature of Los Angeles’) are also included in the selection, which “have never been exhibited”, explained the curator of the exhibition, Carlos Gollonet. Davidson is one of the most important professionals in ‘humanist’ photography, and member of the prestigious Magnum photography agency and co-operative.

The curator of the ‘Bruce Davidson’ exhibition explained that the exhibition “starts with ‘The Wall’, a series created in 1955 about a marriage that (Davidson) saw during his military service, and ends with his latest work about nature in Paris and Los Angeles". The exhibition is a selection of twelve series, including ‘The Widow of Montmartre’, ‘The Dwarf’, ‘England / Scotland’, ‘Years of Travel’, ‘Garden Cafeteria’, ‘Subway’ and ‘Central Park’.

The retrospective on Davidson, which spans the years 1955 to 2013, is the “most comprehensive (exhibition) on his work in the world”, stated Gollonet. “The most interesting thing is that we can see the stylistic evolution of his work but can also see a small condensed history of American photography from the second half of the twentieth century, which is, undoubtedly, a universal reference for photography”, he added.

“You can’t do it alone”

Bruce Davidson’s work is characterised by a personal vision of reality, in which his art manifests itself by the effect produced by repetition and juxtaposition of characters and themes with whom Davidson shared intimate moments. Access to such moments are only possible once you have gained the confidence of the people portrayed, explained Gollonet. Thus, his work is a reflection of an ethical commitment to the harsh realities and vulnerable and precarious environments in which the daily life of the subjects of the photographs takes place. In this sense, photographer Bruce Davidson affirmed that “pictures always have a story behind them, and it is important that photography have passion and meaning, but it is also important to have people to help you along the way, because you can’t do it alone”, concluded Gollonet.

An international tour to follow

The exhibition will also be open from next September at the Fundación MAPFRE headquarters in Madrid. Then, it will begin an international tour, starting with the Netherlands Photo Museum in Rotterdam and CAMERA, the Italian Centre for Photography in Turin.