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The avant-gardes had an enormous impact in Europe in the period between the wars. After Paris, Prague became a second centre of Cubism and was home to a number of artists. In 1918, the advent of democracy in Czechoslovakia marked the start of two decades of cultural prosperity: photography, graphics and the cinema gave rise to works that influenced the whole world. Paris, too, with its cultural freedom, attracted artists from abroad, many of whom were photographers: Man Ray, Brassaï, François Kollar and Germaine Krull and, fleeing from Fascism in Germany, Gisèle Freund, Gerda Taro and Robert Capa. Paris was reaffirmed as a place where ideas circulated, and where galleries, agencies and publications proliferated.
At the same time, Catalonia also joined the avant-garde and refreshed the dominant aesthetic in the cultural circles of the time. Illustrated magazines and books from Europe introduced many influences and photography was no exception to this, especially in fields such as advertising and architecture.
The relations between Prague and Paris have often been exhibited and studied. This exhibition sets out to reveal the contributions by Catalan artists. In this way, the MNAC is offering a fresh reading that will help put Catalan avant-garde photography where it belongs on the international scene.
Exhibition organized by the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
With the sponsorship of Agrolimen
Curator: David Balsells, Head curator of photography, MNAC, in collaboration with Joan Naranjo, photography historian and member of the MNAC's photography advisory committee.
Exhibition catalogue: Praha Paris Barcelona
ACTIVITIES
Guided visits Service free (included in the price of admission to the exhibition)Saturdays at 11 a.m. (Spanish) and 12.30 p.m. (Catalan) as from Saturday May 22ndDuration: 1hr 30mins. Places limited
Audio guides are handed out 20 minutes before each visit at the groups counter. To facilitate handing them out, please be as punctual as possible.