BARCELONA is a comprehensive selection of images documenting the social and urban evolution of the Catalan capital. Through 150 historical images, the book offers a journey from the start of the 20th century through to the present day, with images from renowned international photographers and a broad selection of women photographers such as Dora Maar, Gerda Taro, Colita, Margaret Michaelis and Pilar Aymerich.

The Barcelona City Councillor for Culture, Xavier Marcé Carol, began the book presentation with a declaration summing up the essence of the work: “This book is not a postcard of the city, but of the very lives of people of Barcelona”. After that, César Martínez-Useros (director of La Fàbrica) moderated a round table with Ricardo Feriche (art director and editor of the book) and the photographers Pilar Aymerich and Txema Salvans.

Journey through collective memory

Pilar Aymerich analysed how three-quarter portraits document “the evolution of women’s bodies in the 70s, when they regained the freedom that their grandmothers had during the Republic”. “It’s clear to see”, she added, “how their movements expressed more freedom and joy”.

Documentary value of the image

Ricardo Feriche highlighted how “all documentary photography gains value over time. In the post-war period, for instance, we see how everybody dressed in white through poverty, a reality clear to see in these images”. The book’s editor defended the inclusion of unconventional photographs: “Precisely these out-of-focus shots and atypical images are the ones that capture that mood of the moment best”.

Txema Salvans explored this idea further: “While social media trivialises the image, in this book we offer a polysemic photography that invites reflection”. The photographer particularly highlighted “those images that show “the Barcelona of the defeated, a free city that was silenced”.

Feminist vision of the city

Pilar Aymerich’s input centred around the gender dimension: “My works show how women in the 70s, through their bodies and attitudes, regained public space”. This perspective forms part of the vision of other authors that document social change.

The selection combines black and white works with others in colour and establishes a dialogue between periods, revealing both the changes and the permanent elements of Barcelona’s identity. As Txema Salvans pointed out, “all documentary photography gains value over time, as it explains how people lived”.

The session rounded off by emphasising the intergenerational value of the work. Marcé stressed that “this book not only allows us to understand the past, but also the present of Barcelona”. For her part, Aymerich defined it as “a historic document, and at the same time a tribute to the anonymous citizens who have given the city life”.