‘Useful photography’ in Catalonia’s National Art Museum

A new exhibition based on the work of Oriol Maspons looks at whether art can be ‘useful’ to society

A man walks through the Oriol Maspons exhibition in the National Art Museum of Catalonia. (Photo: Pau Cortina)
A man walks through the Oriol Maspons exhibition in the National Art Museum of Catalonia. (Photo: Pau Cortina) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

July 6, 2019 11:09 AM

The first great exhibition on the work of Barcelona photographer Oriol Maspons (1928-2013), whose archive has been guarded by the National Museum since 2011. 

The exhibition, curated by Cristina Zelich, runs through four decades of the artist’s dedication to photography with around 530 images, some unpublished or little known, beyond the iconic works on Barcelona’s beach prior to its development for the 1992 Olympic Games, or the portraits of the Divine Gauche cultural movement in Barcelona. 

Maspons defended the idea of "useful" photography, as both the title of the exhibition and the association of the selected images represent. Photojournalism, portraits, fashion, and advertising; Maspons covered a broad field of photography to create a collection of more than 7,000 images.

Through 530 images, the exhibition '1949-1995. Oriol Maspons. Useful photography' covers more than forty years of photographic activity in the fields of news, portrait, fashion, and advertising. 

The exhibition runs until January 12, 2020, and you can find more information here.