The Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation presents an anthological exhibition on the photographer Gabriel Cualladó

Today, the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation has unveiled the exhibition “Essential Cualladó”, which showcases the work and figure of this prominent photographer through an extensive selection of 140 photographs. This is the first individual exhibition of Gabriel Cualladó’s legacy in Barcelona. “Essential Cualladó” will be open from this Friday until 30 June at La Pedrera. 

Curated by the photographer and professor Antonio Tabernero, the show offers a survey through the oeuvre of Cualladó, a photographer who always considered himself an amateur. His output is among the most unique in photography, not only because of its poetic dimension and extraordinary freedom of expression, but also because of the natural simplicity with which he interprets the world. Throughout the presentation, Tabernero stressed that “Cualladó was a picture-taking monster”, and that “through his images he suggested and showed things that were imperceptible to the rest of us, hence his unique style”.

At the press conference held today, the director general of the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation, Marta Lacambra, stated that  “with this exhibition, we are spotlighting Cualladó, an extraordinarily discreet person who emanated poetry, honesty and sensibility”. Another participant in the press conference was Antonio J. Sánchez, deputy director of Fine Arts of the Regional Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Community of Madrid.  Lacambra  added that thanks to cooperation among institutions, “we can continue to work on behalf of culture and art to bring them to everyone”.

Who is Gabriel Cualladó?

Gabriel Cualladó (Massanassa, 1925 - Madrid, 2003) is one of the most top exponents of the movement to update Spanish photography in the second half of the 20th century. A self-taught photographer, Cualladó’s works stand out by imbuing the gloomy post-war reality with humanism and composing his own universe infused with poetry.

Cualladó was a member of the  historical photographic group AFAL and co-founder of the group La Palangana, and he was a leading member of the School of Madrid. An avid collector of photographs, he was the first winner of the National Photography Award and earned the Gold Medal at the Fine Arts Circle of Madrid.

His busiest period was the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, years which are reflected in a series of photographs, most of which were taken in Madrid, Paris and Asturias. In these pictures, Cualladó is not seeking important themes or people but instead turning his more humanistic eye to portraying simple scenes, without artifice, to capture instants from everyday life. Friends, family members and anonymous people create an intimate, familiar atmosphere.