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Photography exhibition: Joan Colom and Barcelona

Joan Colom photography exhibition

Ann Marie Brannigan Leave a Comment

Large ladies asses, street-wise kids, hardened prostitutes… These are just some of the subjects that appear in the retrospective exhibition of Joan Colom at the MNAC (Catalonia’s National Art Museum). I recently had the opportunity to enjoy this fantastic trip into Barcelona’s most uncomfortable side. Watch out for the masterpiece series called El Carrer (the street). Grainy black and white images show hard yet mesmerizing depictions of life in El Raval during the 1960s.

Barcelona, being a port city, always had a thriving sex industry to cater to visiting sailors. Joan Colom captures the working ladies and their clients integrated into everyday life of this borough. How did he manage to get these images? Quite simply: from a camera carried below the waist. He never drew attention to himself by looking through the viewfinder. As he walked, he clicked. This unobtrusive method gives completely natural and uninhibited scenarios. Also, the low level of the lens brings your eyes to curvy bums and breasts, giving you an intimate and fascinating inside glimpse.

Joan Colom photography exhibition

These avant-garde photographs were cutting edge and I was really surprised that he wasnโ€™t more internationally recognised. I suppose, if you take sneaky photos and publish them without permission, you will at some point get into trouble. This is exactly what happened in 1964 when he found himself about to be sued by an unhappy subject. This scandal put a halt to his photography for a number of years.

Joan Colom photography exhibition

The city went through many changes over the next few decades, including a big clean-up for the Olympics that was hosted here in 1992. However, El Raval, Joan’s favourite neighbourhood, was never really tamed. Here resides a multicultural population with a lively street scene. Old men on benches, artists painting walls, prostitutes peddling and sightseeing tourists reside hand in hand. Luckily for us, Joan Colom took up his camera again to capture in colour this modern era. These new works are every bit as good as his old pieces and really depict El Raval’s unique character.

Joan Colom photography exhibition

I doubt whether the tourist office would use these images for promotional purposes as the number of visitors would probably plummet! However, this is a side of Barcelona’s past and present rarely seen from outside and I definitely recommend a viewing to have a whole picture of what this city is about.

“I work the streets” (Joan Colom photographs 1957-2010)

  • Where: Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
  • When: Until May 25th 2014
  • Free entrance every Saturday after 3 pm and 1st Sunday of each month

 

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Filed Under: Art & museums

MOST RECENT REVIEWS OF RUNNER BEAN TOURS BARCELONA

RUNNER BEAN TOURS - Barcelona Private Tours & Free Walking Tours
RUNNER BEAN TOURS - Barcelona Private Tours & Free Walking Tours
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Maria Fonseca
Maria Fonseca
21:04 31 Dec 20
Was a pleasant experience to have Lisa as tour guide. Full of details her explanation and very focus on what she was saying. A touch of british humour was very much appreciated ;) Thank you
Brigitte Gneissl
Brigitte Gneissl
12:47 09 Dec 20
I booked the group tour for the Gothic quarter but obviously due to the current circumstances I was the only one on the tour. Hence, my fantastic tour guide Lisa gave me a private tour and it was super interesting. I... really learned a lot and it's a great way of discovering Barcelona. Highly recommended for anyone who comes to BCN! It's so important to also learn about the history and culture. A fantastic tour. Greetings to Lisa.read more
Satyajeet Sarang
Satyajeet Sarang
15:56 17 Oct 20
We did the Gothic Quarter tour with Miguel. We were lucky that the other party on the tour had cancelled so we had a private tour!! Miguel was extremely knowledgable and gave us lot of detail and information on each... place and also bits and pieces of the in-between that tied the places together into a whole story! Miguel spent a good amount of time with us and also gave us good local tips for food, shops and such. We would highly recommend Runner Bean Tours!!read more
Lisa Gill
Lisa Gill
11:17 14 Oct 20
We had a fantastic tour led by Lisa and due to COVID it was just the three of us. We've been to Barcelona many times and so it was wonderful to learn more about the history of the city and the buildings we love so much.... Lisa was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!read more
rhonda caplan
rhonda caplan
03:03 13 Oct 20
We were so impressed with our tour. It was fun, and extremely informative. They go by donation and they are worth every penny .My friend and I have been on tours in a lot of cities and this tour ranked amongst our... favorite. We were encouraged to ask questions, and if I ever have an opportunity I would take as many tours from them as they offer. Thank you ๐Ÿ˜Š ๐Ÿ’™read more
Aoife Leddy
Aoife Leddy
13:56 12 Oct 20
We had a very short time in Barcelona so to make the most of the time we had, we decided to do a walking tour. I'm so glad we chose Runner Bean Tours. We did the Antoni Gaudรญ tour with Lisa and thoroughly enjoyed it.... Even our children were engaged throughout thanks to Lisa's gift for storytelling and bringing you on a journey with her tour. Given the current climate in Spain with few foreign tourists visiting, we were in a unique position to enjoy an almost private tour in a very quiet city...an experience we will probably never have the opportunity to have ever again. We enjoyed the Gaudรญ tour so much that we booked the Gothic tour the very next day and were lucky enough to have Lisa as a guide once more. Again, a wonderful tour delivered in an engaging and really entertaining way. Lisa's knowledge of the history of Barcelona shines through and her passion for this wonderful city is absolutely contagious. Highly recommended for the whole family โ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿ‘Œread more
Sophie Nadal
Sophie Nadal
13:46 08 Sep 20
I really appreciated the visit with Ali, who payed attention to us, asking if we add any questions regularly. She loved introducing the city to us and we can feel it, it was a real pleasure. I recommend it !
Elizabeth Skelton
Elizabeth Skelton
14:14 03 Sep 20
We had an awesome time on the Barcelona gothic quarter tour with Miguel! Miguel was an amazing guide. He was full of interesting information, and his passion and love for the city and his job made the tour extra... enjoyable. He also gave us lots of recommendations for places to eat and drink in the city, and even helped us mark them on google maps. He also took some great pictures for us. I wouldnโ€™t hesitate to recommend runner bean tours. Thank you Miguel for giving us such an insightful experience!read more
Katie Mckitting
Katie Mckitting
17:06 01 Sep 20
We have done a lot of walking tours all over the world and this was by far our favourite. Miguel was very knowledgeable and funny and made this an enjoyable experience. It is clear that Miguel loves what he does and... made sure that we had fun too. There were only 2 others on the tour with us and he made sure we were safe and distanced and everyone wore their masks to make sure we all felt safe and comfortable. I 100% recommend doing this tour - especially if with Miguel if possible! Gracias for a lovely few hours in Barca!! :)read more
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