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Robert Capa arrives in Barcelona

signed photos with many names, although all the same personality shines through, that of a bold and intrepid war photographer who dreamed of becoming unemployed . A man dragged the morning of the bed, her face erased from the imprint that the suffering and the tragedy had left in his face and came out ready to jump to life and show the world your smile brighter. Known in their closest circles as a Don Juan, after losing the Civil War to his girlfriend and companion, had an affair with Grace Kelly and rejected the marriage proposal of Ingrid Bergman to devote all his passion to his true love, photography. "The best war photographer in the world" as he called the magazine Picture Post, guided the birth of Magnum Photos and a new style of photojournalism. Now, from July 7, the National Museum of Catalan Art (MNAC) will host the exhibition This is war! Robert Capa at Work.

Robert Capa was born Endria Friedmann, at age 18 had to leave his native Budapest and accused of communist was established in Berlin. Because of his Jewishness was forced to move to Paris after the rise of Hitler. There, with David Seymour, began his career as a photographer. Forty of photographer Robert Capa, the MNAC perhaps reflects the ten most successful of the reporter. A sample that has already been seen in New York, London and now in Milan, and that includes 150 photographs that Capa made in the 30 and 40. Endri

covered the Civil War to Life magazine when he was 22 years, but you must first understand how it entered the world of photojournalism. In Paris, thanks the protection of David Seymour, consolidated time photographer, he began working for the magazine Vu, but could not be in place among the great photographers of the moment. Recognition came from the hand of Grenda Taro, who invented the character of an important American photographer able to increase your reputation and your current account to the top. This new personality Endri was adopted by Robert Capa, name probably taken from his admiration for the actor Robert Taylor and to the director Frank Capra.

already established as a photographer was in the English Civil War where he first story of war, his first big success. It was demonstrated that was a bold and risky photographer was this premise that repeated countless times, "If your pictures are not good enough, you have not close enough." The Civil War marked extending the life of Robert Capa, and not just professionally. Of Spain impressed him "the faces of some Brigades who fought for a country even though they knew they were going to lose." Also in the battle of Brunete, near the English capital lost under a tank, Grenda Taro who earned the dubious title of first photographer killed in a war.

After the death of his partner of hardship and success, he covered the war in China for a short time before returning to Spain to cover the end of the war, seemed to have acquired a personal commitment to the situation in our country .

At the end of the Civil War, photographed, also for Life, the most important fronts during the Second World War, with such confidence that the journal and the U.S. government placed in him, who landed in Normandy on D-day popular with the first soldiers. In the photographs of Normandy was shown that daring and bold style in which gain importance the drama, the moment, the moment you capture those shots at the expense of the technical or quality of the image.

This personal air which was transferred to Magnum Photos, photo agency established in 1947 with Henri Carter-Bresson, Rodger, Vandiver and David Seymour. Together they managed to keep their own styles but inspiring a new way of seeing the picture, which still maintains the agency, as what really matters is what lies behind the scene rather than the image.

As director of Magnum , carried reports about his second passion, cinema and began to frequent the most elite circles of Hollywood. Grace Kelly met with which had an intense romance, and broke a long relationship with Ingrid Bergman after, as she herself acknowledged, Robert asked her marriage and reject it.

Robert Capa was only willing to be tied to photography. So back to photograph the war. First covers the first Arab - Israeli war. Later he moved to Indochina in 1954, without being aware that this would be his last job. On May 25, a landmine killed him. In this way, die with the camera still in his hand the author of the best pictures ever taken of life. "

This exhibition, which will host from July 7, the MNAC, will be completed with a important set of documents (25 magazines and 10 cards) will help to contextualize their work and the echo that in the media of the time.

Gerda also parallel to this exhibition, Gerda Taro MNAC also present a sample claiming the important role that this photographer has been in the history of war photography and the influence exercised over the work of his colleague, Robert Capa.

The two exhibitions, Gerda Taro and this is war! Robert Capa at Work, could be seen in New York in late 2007, shortly before the arrival of the International Center of Photography in this city held negative Mexican suitcase, a set of boxes containing 3,500 negatives of Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour "Chim" on the English Civil War. The negatives are being studied at the ICP, and some of the documents extracted from the suitcase will be part of the exhibition at the MNAC.