Since its opening at La Virreina Centre de la Imatge, Barcelona La Metrópolis en la Era de la Fotografía, 1860-2004 has been visited by more than 43,000 people. The exhibition curated by Jorge Ribalta brings together almost 1,000 works, covering iconic photography of Barcelona’s urban development over a period of one and a half centuries.
The show reveals urban transformation marked by major international events, from the 1888 World Fair to the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures. It traces the emergence of multiple forms of photographic technology, beginning in the 1850’s and leading to digital technology, the Internet, mobile telephony and social media of our present time.
Six major historical periods are highlighted:
– The approval of Cerdà’s plan for the city’s extension, up to the World Fair (1860-1888)
– The gradual emergence of the illustrated press, the construction of Via Laietana, the landscaping of Montjuïc and the arrival of Modernisme (1888-1929)
– The 1930’s and the Spanish Civil War (1930-1939)
– The predominance of the humanist paradigm and the new photojournalism of the transition to democracy (1940-1970)
– The arrival of the new topographical documentary style, its link to the city’s recovery and the rise in neighbourhood association movements (1970-1992)
– New social struggles, where the image took on a new central role in both municipal management and social conflict (1992-2004)
When: 23 March to 25 September 2016
Admission: Free
Guided tours: Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, at 6PM
La Virreina Centre de la Imatge
Address: La Rambla, 99, 08001 Barcelona
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays, noon to 8 pm
Phone: 933 16 10 00
Website: ajuntament.barcelona.cat/lavirreina/