Gerda Taro and Robert Capa: love and photography on display in Turin

Robert Capa and Gerda Taro they meet in Paris in 1934. They are both exiles, he comes from Hungary, she from Nazi Germany. They meet and fall in love tied like a knot by a great political passion and unconditional love for photographic art.

Now an exhibition in Turin – Robert Capa and Gerda Taro: photography, love and war from 14 February to 2 June at the Camera Center, curated by Walter Guadagnini and Monica Poggi – tells this story which unfolds in the first half of the twentieth century and which is narrated through 120 shots symbol of the 20th century.

The artistic partnership of the two artists was therefore born in Paris, among the cafés of the Latin Quarter and the frequenting of intellectuals and artists from all over Europe. The decisive year for both is 1936: in August they move to Spain, to document the ongoing civil war between the republicans and fascists; the following month Capa will take the legendary shot of militiaman shot deadwhile Gerda takes her most iconic image, one militiawoman in training, gun pointed and high-heeled shoes. Together with these two icons, the two photographers took many other shots which testify to an intense participation in the event, both from the point of view of war reportage and from that of the daily life of the soldiers and the population who were dramatically victimized of the conflict.

Just shortly after the victory of the popular front, however, during the battle of Brunete, in Spain, on 24 July 1937, Gerda was hit by a tank and died, thus tragically putting an end to the life of the first war reporter. The following year, Robert Capa will publish the epochal volume Death in the makingdedicated to his partner, which contains many of the images visible in the exhibition, by both photographers.

But among the many unforgettable photographs on display, some of those in the “Mexican suitcase” containing 4,500 negatives taken in Spain by the two protagonists of the exhibition and their friend and companion should also be remembered. David Seymour, known as Chem. The suitcase, traces of which were lost in 1939 – when Capa entrusted it to a friend to prevent the materials from being requisitioned and destroyed by German troops – was only found in 2007 in Mexico City, allowing us to correctly attribute a series of images whose author had not been clear until then.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog published by Dario Cimorelli editor with texts by the editors.
Thursday 15 February 2024 at 6.30 pm (entrance 3 euros) Walter Guadagnini, artistic director of the chamber and co-curator of the exhibition, meets la scrittrice Helena Janeczekauthor of The girl with the Leicathe 2018 Strega award-winning novel that told the story of Gerda Taro’s life.