The free photography exhibition at the Moll de Gregal wharf forms part of the partnership between BSM, Fundación MAPFRE and the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB) to bring photography and the performing arts to the new Port Olímpic
Port Olímpic is hosting KBr Fundación MAPFRE’s photography exhibition on the US artist Helen Levitt, which is on through January. The free exhibition at the Moll de Gregal wharf forms part of the collaboration agreement between BSM, Fundación MAPFRE and the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB) to bring photography and the performing arts to the new Port Olímpic.
The display offers a selection of images from the exhibition on the work of Helen Levitt (New York City, 1913 - 2009), one of the most urban photographers of the 20th century. The photos on display at Port Olímpic offer a taste of Levitt’s visual universe, sensitively capturing the mood of everyday life in the streets of working-class New York neighbourhoods such as Spanish Harlem and Lower East Side.
During the months that the exhibition is on, KBr will continue to offer its usual programme of concerts with Conservatori Liceu students, featuring music inspired by Helen Levitt’s photography.
Helen Levitt: the poetic dimension of urban life
The full exhibition, on at the KBr Fundación MAPFRE from 24 September, covers Levitt’s career from her beginnings in the 1930s through to her innovative colour photos of the 1960s. Influenced by figures such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans, Levitt developed her own lyrical and empathic style, eschewing conventional photojournalism, to explore the poetic dimension of urban life.
Her images, particularly those portraying children playing in the street, tell a visual story about US society, where the street becomes a setting for community life. In addition to photography, Levitt also made a name for herself in the world of documentaries, collaborating with the likes of Luis Buñuel and James Agee on films such as The Quiet One and In the Street, which influenced later generations of film-makers.
With this display at the Moll de Gregal wharf, Port Olímpic is continuing to establish itself as a cultural space open to the city, where photography becomes a tool for reflection and connecting with urban life.
