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Exhibitions

Photo Colectania pays tribute to Ramón Masats

A large display of more than 140 photographs.

'Excursión con la Real Sociedad’. © Ramón Masats / VEGAP
Photo Colectania pays tribute to Ramón Masats

The Foto Colectania Foundation presented last Thursday, January 16, the new temporary exhibition, 'Ramón Masats, the silent photographer', a new look at one of the great classics of Spanish photography, with unpublished images and original copies revised by the author before his death. Present at this event were Sònia Masats , daughter of Ramón Masats and head of the Ramón Masats archive, and Pep Font de Mora , director of Foto Colectania and curator of this exhibition that will be on view until May 25.

Ramón Masats (1931, Barcelona – 2024, Madrid) is one of the most influential photographers of the Spanish generation of the sixties, a recognition he achieved thanks to his instinctive ability to construct images, his radical and ironic approach to the clichés of post-war culture and his temperamental conviction to photograph with absolute freedom. This exhibition, which has been produced from the Ramon Masats archive and the Foto Colectania collection, presents 140 images from the photographer's first creative period, from his beginnings in 1953 to 1965, when he temporarily left his photographic practice.

Photo Colectania pays tribute to Ramón Masats Ramón Masats, fotografiat per Francisco Gómez en 1958. © Ramón Masats / VEGAP

It is worth noting that for the first time, the original vintage photographs from his photobook entitled Sanfermines and his early works will be available to view. Thanks to the support of Sònia Masats, who has made it possible to view all the negatives that the photographer reviewed –both from years ago and recently–, as well as the original copies that his archive treasures. For its part, Foto Colectania has wanted to highlight some photographs from his early works, always with original vintage copies, a period in which the author was experimenting and still hesitating between dedicating himself to photography with more abstract content or to reportage, which he would soon choose. In this section, the 15 exquisite vintages that the author grouped together from his first photographic challenge: Las Ramblas are shown for the first time. Also noteworthy in the selection is a representation of photographs from his fundamental books: Neutral Corner, the masterpiece with texts by Ignacio Aldecoa, and the Sanfermines series, which is his first photobook, of which the original copies jealously kept to this day are shown.

The exhibition is completed by works to which he devoted himself intensely, such as the one of Arcos de la Frontera or the portraits of personalities that he made for Gaceta Ilustrada and other media, as well as an extensive selection of iconic images, which are combined with some unpublished photographs.

Photo Colectania pays tribute to Ramón Masats Sanfermines, 1957-60. © Ramón Masats / VEGAP

The silent photographer

Ramón Masats has established himself as a key figure in the evolution of documentary photography in Spain during the 20th century. His foray into photography began in the early 1950s, marking the beginning of a career that would extend over several decades and would give him a prominent place among the most influential photographers in Spain.

In 1953, Masats began his career as a photojournalist, initially working in Barcelona, before moving to Madrid in the mid-1950s. Masats' work during this period offers a unique perspective on Spain's effort to reconnect with the world, capturing human stories that would otherwise have been unknown. It must be said that he played a crucial role in the modernization of Spanish photography. He later left photography to dedicate himself to film and television, media in which he made numerous documentaries. In 1981, he resumed his profession as a photographer with a renewed focus on color.

Masats has been awarded many prizes, has edited several catalogues and has participated in several books and collective exhibitions. He died on March 4, 2024 in Madrid, at the age of 92, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire and influence the world of photography.

Photo Colectania pays tribute to Ramón Masats ‘Verbena’, Plaza Mayor, Madrid, 1964. © Ramón Masats / VEGAP

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