The exhibit dedicated to Gabriel Cualladó (Massanassa, Valencia, 1925 – Madrid, 2003) is based on an exhaustive investigation of this author’s assets present in the IVAM Collection. Adding to this large set of works (around 445 photographs) is the photographer’s archive and library, and a series of polaroids made up of more than 600 pieces; furthermore, slides made by the photographer towards the end of his career are included and show his experimentation with colour, something unique in his work.
This exhibit aims to look at Cualladó’s universe starting at its origins, making visible his work as a photographer, but also as a collector, writer and editor. His archive (made up of correspondence, brochures, invitations and many other documents) and his fantastic library, unique in Spain, allow us to build not only on his work, but also the history and development of photography in Spain; from amateur associations to the official recognition of photography as an artistic genre, for which he was awarded the National Photography Prize in 1994.
The exhibit will include documents and unpublished material that will allow the public to know a different perspective of this artist, which will allow a dialogue to be established between his work and works from his own collection deposited at the IVAM by authors such as Diane Arbus, August Sander or Dorothea Lange. This exhibit will follow the complete trajectory of Cualladó’s career based on a large presentation of material that will accompany the photographs and which will also demonstrate his great importance in the Spanish context and his ability to establish connections on an international level
