KBr in Barcelona Presents Major Retrospective of American Photographer Walker Evans

The KBr Center of the Mapfre Foundation in Barcelona is inaugurating a large retrospective exhibition dedicated to American photographer Walker Evans. The exhibition titled "Walker Evans. Now and Then" provides a comprehensive overview of the artist's oeuvre, portraying him as an insightful chronicler of everyday life and a "photographer of the ordinary and commonplace," as described by the Spanish press. A key part of the exhibition consists of iconic photographs from the time of the The Great Depression was the deepest economic crisis in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from the stock market crash in New York in 1929 through most of the 1930s. In the USA, it led to mass unemployment reaching 25%, the collapse of thousands of banks, and extreme poverty, especially in rural areas, which became the subject of interest for the Farm Security Administration's photography program. Great Depression, documenting the difficult situation of farming families in the southern states of the USA. Articles emphasize that Evans was an innovator in his approach to the medium. He did not focus solely on the act of taking a photograph but was interested in the entire process – from choosing the frame through the technique of execution to the final publication in the press or in book form. "He was a precursor ahead of his time," we read. The evolution of his style is visible through the presentation of works made with various cameras and in different conventions, making him a "heterogeneous" artist. Evans's exhibition is accompanied by a display of works by Spanish photographer Carlos Pérez Siquier, whose opening in 2020 was interrupted by the pandemic. Thus, KBr creates a dialogue between two artists who "did not hide but looked straight into the face of popular culture and the real world." The curators of the Evans exhibition highlight his ability to extract beauty and dignity from seemingly banal, even brutal aspects of reality, which gives his works a universal and timeless dimension. The exhibition in Barcelona is an opportunity to become acquainted with the broad spectrum of Evans's work, which influenced subsequent generations of documentary photographers. His working methods – focus on detail, direct contact with subjects, and treating photography as a complex message – remain relevant. For the Spanish public, it is also a chance to see famous photographs, such as portraits of the Burroughs family, which have permanently entered the canon of 20th-century imagery. The exhibition will run for the coming months, constituting one of the most important stops on the European tour of this retrospective.