Francesc Català-Roca
(Valls, 1922 - Barcelona, 1998) is one of the leading names in contemporary European photography. He was responsible for renewing Spanish photography in the 1950s, drawing on the neorealist concept of the image, and captured scenes of the everyday life of his times in shots that have not only become a historical record of the first order but have also come to form part of our collective memory. Català-Roca travelled widely around Spain and knew it well, and he was an observant witness of the changes that gradually transformed the country.
Català-Roca championed a new way of understanding photography in which there was no room for manipulation. He introduced new registers into the language of photographic reportage in Spain and ushered in the use of publications as a vehicle in which to display his works.
Obra Social de CatalunyaCaixa is pleased to present this exhibition organised in order to offer a new consideration of Català-Roca’s oeuvre, a body of work founded on the constant exploration of light. This show, which focuses on his black and white images, presents a broad selection of his photos, including his documentary photography of the 1950s and 60s, as well as his shots of architecture, a less widely known aspect of his work.