The exhibit, produced by la Fundación Telefónica, intends not only to be a graphic photo-essay of this period in Spain, but also the first systematic review of photo-journalism of the transition, considered to be one of the most important periods in the history of Spanish photography. There are close to one hundred press photographers, as well as the main news agencies, newspapers and magazines participating in the exhibit, all under the coordination of Professor (and journalist) Eduardo Rodríguez Merchán, who acts as curator with assistance from photographers Miguel Gómez and Luis Magán.
A booklet-catalogue has been published for this exhibit. In addition to the photos on display, this publication includes texts by the four Presidents of the Spanish government under democracy, works by prestigious historians and sociologists and articles by some twenty journalists who played a key role as informers to the public and as shapers of opinion during these years.
OVER TWO HUNDRED PHOTOGRAPHS CARRYING IMPACT
As the curator explains, the exhibit brings together the professional work of a good part of the graphic journalists that were protagonists and direct witnesses of the events of this period. Some two hundred impacting images provide a synopsis of Spanish society’s transition to democratic normalcy. Political facts, society events, daily tragic occurrences and crimes, and relevant cultural and sporting events constitute the various topics of this graphic essay, one that aspires to "bring forth the reality of several generations of Spaniards who witnessed and experienced the transformation of a society in the process of modernization."
The exhibit coordinators have steered clear of any speculation regarding the strict timeline of the so-called Transition, since they were mostly interested in constructing a story about the last twenty-five years in Spain and arriving at the present. They focus on the iconography of Spain’s changes towards the future and not in the political transition itself. The exhibit begins in November of 1975 with the death of Franco, finishing the day of the most recent general elections in March of this year, at which point the collection had to be closed in order to prepare the exhibit. As Eduardo Rodríguez Merchán points out, "from a visual point of view the journey opens and closes in a symbolic way, not time-related." It begins with an image of Civil Guard officers removing a portrait of the previous head of state (Franco) after a fire in the Pazo de Meirás (Franco’s Galician residence) in 1978, and finishes with a photo from 1980 in which the King looks upon his own portrait (done by Macarrón) hanging in the Spanish parliament. "The exhibit is also a portrait of the monarchy under King Juan Carlos I", Rodríguez Merchán explains.
The curator stresses the historic value of the collection of photographs in terms of learning about this period and contemplating our recent past. In the opinion of Rodríguez Merchán, the value of this exhibit lies above all, in the fact that it allows the overview of history "to be driven by eyes expert in looking at reality from the shortest distance." This professional vision can provide us with a more accurate idea about the position of our country in the world.
THE SPLENDOR OF SPANISH PHOTO-JOURNALISM
The exhibit is also about the history of Spanish photo-journalists of this period, those people who hit the streets daily with their cameras in search of news. They have become faithful notaries of the reality of these years, instantiating important moments of daily life into important historical documents.
The collection reflects the splendor of a photo-journalism that began during the early part of the transition, on par with the work of the most prestigious graphic information agencies in France or the United States. In the view of the experts, the press photography of this period, which the exhibit pays tribute to, is the most attractive and eclectic stylistic movement in the history of Spanish photography.
According to experts, the collection of photos is also highly aesthetic. The images displayed, including the most recent ones, are loaded with historical content. However, they are also full of visual content. Thus, they stand today not only as notarizing documents, but also as unique objects of art.
The exhibit coordinators point out that the need to synthesize five lustra of history into a few photos implies that there is "naturally a subjective criteria when choosing the pieces." Nonetheless, the view that is offered is without a doubt that of the close to one hundred photographers who are present in their photos, playing the key role in the exhibit.
