Palau Robert hosts the "Modernity of Gabriel Casas i Galobardes"

From October 11 to January 29, 2023, room 2 of the Palau Robert hosts Modernity by Gabriel Casas i Galobardes, a spectacular exhibition, with more than a hundred photographs reproduced in large format, following a narrative argument ( sports idols, speed, the city as a spectacle, journalists as the new heroes of the moment, the bars, the music hall, the beginnings of tourism and the Chinese quarter).

The images of Casas are combined with objects (chromos, a Bugatti baby, a cocktail set that belonged to Josep Palau i Fabre's parents, a copy of Vida Privada by Josep M. de Sagarra with annotations by Pompeu Fabra and the glass of the meublé de Madame Petit), with literary texts by Josep M. de Sagarra, Josep M. Planes, Rem Koolhaas, Massimo Bontempelli, Luigi Pirandello or Jean Genet.

Gabriel Casas i Galobardes (1892-1973) was the photographer of Barcelona's modernity between the International Exhibition of 1929 and the Civil War. He started his career as a sports photographer, he was a fundamental piece of the weekly Imatges (1930) that introduced a new concept of graphic magazine, linked with the most modern European trends. He lived the show business, the nights of Barcelona and the underworld. Casas portrayed the first globalization that, in many ways, anticipates the world of today.

Beyond the photographic quality, which places him as one of the most important photographers of the moment, he highlights the connections with the journalistic and cultural environments. Casas i Galobardes is a witness to what is known internationally as the Jazz Age, the period of prosperity and modernity between the two world wars. He introduced bold points of view, which highlighted the paradox of modern living. He used lighting effects and portrayed the neighborhood as a film set, the way Brassaï photographed Paris at night. His portraits capture the personality of footballers, boxers, writers and entertainment figures, who seem alive before the viewer's eyes.