Exhibitions
Robert Capa: The History of Photojournalism, on a Large Scale at the Círculo de Bellas Artes
Robert Capa. ICONS is the largest retrospective in Spain dedicated to the photographer who transformed the world of photojournalism. Until January 25, 2026, the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid will be a space where Capa's images—iconic, intense, and, in many cases, previously unseen—come to life, reminding us of the power of photography to capture history in its most raw and human moment.
The exhibition brings together more than 250 original pieces: period photographs taken by Capa himself, historical publications, and personal objects that give us a glimpse into the intimacy and unique vision of the master. They come primarily from the Golda Darty Collection and the archives of the prestigious Magnum Photos agency, offering a journey that not only celebrates his work, but also the courage and sensitivity of someone who dared to look the world in the face.
In addition to showing the original photographs as they were published in the press—including his most iconic snapshots—the retrospective brings together historical publications—newspapers and magazines that distributed his images worldwide—and a curious collection of personal objects. Sourced from the Golda Darty Collection and the Magnum Photos archives, these materials provide an insight into Capa's work and life with unusual authenticity.
Although Capa is universally recognized for his striking black and white images, the exhibition also reveals his pioneering role in color photography. From the late 1930s, he began experimenting with this technique, and after World War II, he incorporated it regularly into his reports for magazines such as Life and Holiday, thus broadening his outlook and his ability to narrate reality with intensity and sensitivity.
Coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War, one of the conflicts that defined his career, the exhibition displays original period photographs—vintage prints—developed by Capa himself. These images not only show how they circulated in newspapers and magazines of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, but also bear the indelible imprint of their time. Far from the retouched enlargements common in other exhibitions, each photograph powerfully conveys the essence of photojournalism: urgent, direct, and testimony-filled snapshots, capable of transporting the viewer to the most intense moments in history that Capa captured with his camera.
Robert Capa changed the way we look at war.
Robert Capa (Budapest, 1913 – Thai-Binh, Indochina, 1954) is considered the most celebrated war photojournalist of the 20th century. In just two decades of intense career, he documented five decisive conflicts: the Spanish Civil War, the Sino-Japanese War, World War II, the First Arab-Israeli War, and the Indochina War.
His name is inextricably linked to images that form part of our collective memory: "Death of a Militiaman," an emblem of the Spanish Civil War; the harrowing scenes of the Normandy landings, captured under fire on Omaha Beach; and the close-up portraits of combatants, civilians, and friends, which reflect a unique blend of courage and humanity.
Recognition came at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, in 1936, when, together with his friend and future colleague Gerda Taro, he created his legendary pseudonyms. He, the Hungarian Endre Friedmann, became Robert Capa; she, Gerta Pohorylle, became Gerda Taro. Since then, their names and their images have forever marked the history of photojournalism.
