Xavier Miserachs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xavier Miserachs. Selfportrait

Xavier Miserachs i Ribalta (Catalan pronunciation: [ʃəβiˈe mizəˈɾaɡz i riˈβaɫtə]; July 12, 1937 - August 14, 1998) was a Catalan photographer. He studied medicine at the University of Barcelona, but left school to be a photographer. He exhibited in Barcelona since 1956. His work is reminiscent of neorealism and is representative of the years of Spanish economic recovery of the years 1950-1960. His photographs shows him as a creator of a new image of the city and its people. He has practiced mastery over other photographers of his generation, like Colita. In 1998 he received the Creu de Sant Jordi of the Catalan government.

Biography

Xavier Miserachs was born in Barcelona on July 12, 1937, in the middle of Spanish Civil War. He was the son of a hematologist and a librarian, Manuel Miserachs and Montserrat Ribalta. He came in contact with the world of photography at the Technical Institute of Santa Eulàlia, in Barcelona, where he met Ramon Fabregat and his brother Antonio. He studied four courses of a career in medicine, but left shortly before the end to embark on a career as a professional photographer.

In 1952 he became a member of the Photographic Association of Catalonia (Agrupació Fotogràfica de Catalunya), where he met Oriol Maspons, with whom established a good friendship. He first exhibited at the headquarters of the Photographic Association of Catalonia in 1957, along with Ricard Terré and Ramon Masats. In 1959 they presented together again in the Sala Aixelà of Barcelona. He began his professional career in 1959, when Xavier Busquets commissioned him to guide Picasso in his drawings of the facade of the College of Architects of Catalonia.

In 1961, after returning from military service, Miserachs wanted independence, and set up his first studio in the Casa David at Carrer Tuset, a street of Barcelona. Alternating began work on request and works of author, who later compiled books such as Barcelona Blanc i Negre, with 400 photographs recounting the war in Barcelona, or Costa Brava Show.

During the 1960s he also served as a news reporter in Spanish magazines. In 1968 he signed an exclusive contract with the Revista Triunfo. He also published several articles in media like La Vanguardia, Gaceta Ilustrada, Interviú, Bazaar or Magazin, among others. He was thus able to witness historic events as the May 68, Swinging London or the Prague Spring. Miserachs also worked doing reports and also engaged mainly in editorial photography.

In January 1967 he co-founded the Escola Eina, where he was one of the first professors of photography. He occasionally collaborated with disco music selection at Boccaccio's, then meeting place par excellence of the gauche divine. In 1997 he published his memoir, contact sheets, which won a Gaziel prize.

Miserachs Xavier died on August 14, 1998 with 61 years in the Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona due to lung cancer.

Works

Historical Setting

Miserachs is an exponent of the artistic contributions of the 1950s and 1960s, who synthesized frontier period to maturity evolution of the photographic medium and that mark many of the trends that others would follow later. His picture is reminiscent of neorealism style. That would take much sense of his images precisely during the period of economic and political recovery as were the 50 and 60 in Spain also turns his photographic legacy testament not only aesthetic, but also a documentary of a very specific historical moment.

Features

Miserachs Xavier was the youngest member of a group of photographers led by Francesc Català-Roca (1922) and that also included names like Oriol Maspons (1928), Ricard Terré (1928), Paco Ontañón (1930), Leopold Pomés (1930) and Ramon Masats (1931).

In those days the only magazine was Arte Fotografico founded by the Spaniard Ignacio Barceló in 1952 and addressed to the amateur world. This was announced Josep M. Casademont who would assume the role of promoter between the theoretical and Catalan photographers. In 1963 he published his own magazine, Image and Sound, at the same time taking the direction of the Sala Aixelà of Barcelona, where he marched most renowned photographers of the moment. Casademont describes the group's work neorealist:

For us, photography was a food problem, was not an existential or spiritual problem. Was the problem of practicing the profession to live we had chosen. I know the rear plastic manifestation could imply that denounced a state of injustice, misery ... But no, nothing, lie. What I was really aspired to become professional photographers. It seemed a very honorable aspiration and revolted us that society does not give us access mechanisms. They then had a particular realization of all this, instead of escaping, for example by means of surrealism escapèssim us by way of social criticism, I think it is purely accidental.
—Josep M. Casademont

The fact is that the authors intentionally or not, with his keen and insolent, demonstrating a rupture with the official scholarship. Thus, the publication in Barcelona, Blanc i Negre in 1964 was a significant event not only in Miserachs Xavier's career, but look sour and chaotic urban world as they complete the visions of Barcelona (Wolfgang Weber, 1929 and Català-Roca, 1954) that went beyond charming and picturesque character, conveying a new sensitivity.

Films

Miserachs had a brief foray into the world of film, making underground movies shot in some of his friends Enrique Vila-Matas, Emma Cohen and Jordi Cadena, and even got to direct and produce their own short film, Amén historieta muda (Amen dumb cartoon.) He made the film still from Juguetes rotos, directed by Manuel Summers, in 1966.

Legacy

Memorials

A posthumous level have been held several events and exhibitions in honor of Xavier Miserachs, and various awards have been appointed or pathways by name. In 2001 was held the 1st Xavier Miserachs Photography Award, which was a contest of black and white photograph of Barcelona, is named after the author for his work in Barcelona Blanc i Negre.

Palafrugell called a round trip between the beaches of Calella de Palafrugell and Llafranc with the photographer's name, and thus became in 1998 the first-and so far the only-town he has called some of his tracks with the name of the photographer. Also in Palafrugell is celebrated since 1999, the Biennial of Photography Xavier Miserachs dedicated to documentary photography, with the participation of 90 photographers, in the editions of 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2010 special exhibitions were held by the author.

In Barcelona, the exhibition hall on the ground floor of the Palace of the Viceroy's wife was between December 17, 1998 and 2010 the photographer's name in his honor. In 2010, Xavier Sala Miserachs moved to the old Hall of Numismatics, and the ground floor was renamed Virreina Lab.

Archive

Miserachs' Archive included approximately 80,000 photographic images, along with all kinds of documentation of the photographer, and part of his personal library. It is currently deposited in the Research and Documentation Center Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona from February 3, 2011 and for a (renewable) 25. The first contacts between the museum and the family were held in 2009. Together they reached the agreement that the museum houses the works, would digitize and dissemination, promoting the study and background research, both academic and popular level. One of the highlights of this deposit was that a few days to perform, the museum hung on the popular Flickr photo site a series of photographs of the artist, some of them with a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND.

  • Archive:
    • 60,000 Negatives
    • 20,000 slides or transparencies
    • 2,500 sheets of contact
    • Notebooks with personal notes
    • Administrative documentation
    • Personal library (not complete)

Published books

He published several photo books, most of the with texts in Catalan or Spanish, here it is a list with the original naming of the books

Year Original Naming Text by Description Publisher Ref.
1964 Barcelona, blanc i negre Josep Maria Espinàs Aymà [1]
1966 Costa Brava show Manuel Vázquez i Peter Coughtry Kairós [2]
1966 Conversaciones en Cataluña Salvador Pàniker Interviews with Josep Pla, Ana María Matute, Josep Maria Gironella, Salvador Espriu, Josep Maria de Porcioles, Antoni Tàpies, Josep Maria Subirachs or Salvador Dalí among others. Kairós [3]
1967 Los cachorros Mario Vargas Llosa Lumen [4]
1967 El arte prerrománico asturiano Antonio Bonet Correa Polígrafa
1969 Conversaciones en Madrid Salvador Pàniker Interviews with Camilo José Cela, Antonio Buero Vallejo, Aranguren, Sáenz de Oiza among others. Kairós [5]
1978 Andalucía Barroca Antonio Bonet Correa Polígrafa [6]
1982 Catalunya des del mar Carles Barral Collection Vida i costums dels catalans. Edicions 62 [7]
1984 Aprendre a conviure Josep Maria Espinàs Aprende a conviure. Reflexions sobre civilitat. Caixa de Sabadell [8]
1985 Catalunya a vol d'ocell Carles Barral, Josep Maria Ainaud Edicions 62 [9]
1987 Barcelona a vol d'ocell Montserrat Roig i Fransitorra Edicions 62 [10]
1987 Passeig de Mar Xavier Febrés Passeig de mar: la costa catalana del delta de l'Ebre a Cotlliure. Ed. Plaza y Janés/Diari de Barcelona [11]
1988 Els barcelonins Colita, Oriol Maspons, Anna Maria Moix, Terenci Moix Edicions 62 [12]
1988 Les Barcelones del Món J. Nuñez, Rafael Pradas Caixa de Barcelona [13]
1990 Metros i Metròpolis Xavier Febrés, Mercè Sala Diputació de Barcelona [14]
1990 Gran Teatre del Liceu With Ferran Freixa. L'Avenç [15]
1992 El Gran Teatre del Liceu a Sevilla Ramon Pla i Arxé L'Avenç [16]
1997 L'Empordà, llibre de meravelles Antoni Puigverd Edicions 62 [17]
1995 Ciutat Vella. Visions des d'una passió Joan Barril, Josep Maria Carandell, Josep Cuní, Arcadi Espada, Josep Maria Espinàs, Xavier Febrés, Patrícia Gabancho, Josep Maria Huertas, Josep M. Lladó, Lluís Permanyer, Alfred Rexach i Margarita Rivière. Lunwerg [18]
1997 Fulls de contacte Xavier Miserachs Premi Gaziel 1997 Edicions 62 [19]
1998 Girona a Quatre Vents Joan Domènech i Moner Lunwerg [20]
1998 Criterio fotográfico Xavier Miserachs Editorial Omega [19]
2004 Conversaciones en Madrid y en Cataluña Salvador Pàniker i Alemany reedition Kairós [21]
2006 Memòries de la Costa Brava Rosa Regàs Fotografies de F.Català Roca i Miserachs Lupita Books [22]

Main exhibits

  • 1957 - Photographic Association of Catalonia, Barcelona; Photographic Association of Almería (AFAL); and Royal Photographic Society of Madrid. Terré-Miserachs-Masats.[23]
  • 1959 - Sala Aixelà, Barcelona. Terré-Miserachs-Masats, directed by Josep Maria Casademont.
  • 1982 - Galeria René Metras, Barcelona. Fotografia catalana als anys 50-60. With Leopold Pomés and Francesc Català-Roca.[24]
  • 1987 - Barcelona Metrópolis. Installation at the Gran Via of Barcelona from a collective exhibition with Colita, Oriol Maspons and Francesc Català-Roca[24]
  • 1991 - Grupo AFAL 1956-1991.[24]
  • 1992 - Centre d'Art Santa Mònica. Temps de Silenci.[24]
  • 1992 - Fundació "la Caixa". 1 segon i 25 centèsimes. Directed by Alain Dupuy.
  • 2000 - Association of Journalist of Catalonia (Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya), Barcelona. Xavier Miserachs, un luxe periodístic.[25]
  • 2004 - Photoespaña 04, Barcelona. With Terré and Masats.[23]
  • 2006 - Josef Sudek Gallery, Praga. Barcelona. Blanco y Negro.[26]
  • 2007 - Centre Fontana d'Or, Girona. Francesc Català-Roca i Xavier Miserachs. Dues mirades al territori de la Costa Brava.[27]
  • 2008 - Galería Hartmann, Barcelona. En clau de dona.[28]

Awards

Year Award Awarded prize Ref.
1954 I Trofeo Luis Navarro [29]
1997 II Premi Gaziel Hojas de contactos. memorias [30]
1998 Creu de Sant Jordi life

References

  1. ↑ Xavier Miserachs; Josep Maria Espinàs (1964). Barcelona blanc i negre: 371 fotografies. Aymà. Retrieved 19 October 2011. 
  2. ↑ Xavier Miserachs; Manuel Vázquez; Peter Coughtry (1966). Costa Brava show. Editorial Kairós. Retrieved 19 October 2011. 
  3. ↑ Salvador Pániker (1970). Conversaciones en Cataluña. Editorial Kairós. GGKEY:6PKZDBY98G0. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  4. ↑ José Ignacio López Soria; Néstor Tenorio Requejo (2001). Mario Vargas Llosa : el fuego de la literatura. Artedea. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  5. ↑ Salvador Pániker (1971). Conversaciones en Madrid. Editorial Kairós. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  6. ↑ Antonio Bonet Correa (1978). Andalucía barroca: arquitectura y urbanismo. Ediciones Polígrafa. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  7. ↑ Carlos Barral; Xavier Miserachs (1982). Catalunya des del mar: pel car de fora. Edicions 62. ISBN 978-84-297-1917-8. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  8. ↑ Josep M. Espinàs (1986). Aprendre a conviure: reflexions sobre civilitat. La Campana. ISBN 978-84-86491-01-7. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  9. ↑ Carlos Barral; Xavier Miserachs; Josep Maria Ainaud (1985). Catalunya a vol d'ocell. Edicions 62. ISBN 978-84-297-2374-8. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  10. ↑ Montserrat Roig; Xavier Miserachs (1987). Barcelona a vol d'ocell. Edicions 62. ISBN 978-84-297-2706-7. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  11. ↑ Xavier Febrés; Xavier Miserachs (1988). Passeig de mar: la costa catalana del delta de l'Ebre a Cotlliure. Plaza & Janés. ISBN 978-84-01-60750-9. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  12. ↑ Ana María Moix; Terenci Moix (1988). Els Barcelonins. Edicions 62. ISBN 978-84-297-2874-3. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  13. ↑ Joana Núñez; Rafael Pradas; Xavier Miserachs; Caixa de Barcelona (1988). Les Barcelones del món. Caixa de Barcelona. ISBN 978-84-7580-607-5. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  14. ↑ Xavier Febrés; Xavier Miserachs; Mercè Sala (1990). Metros i metròpolis. TMB. ISBN 978-84-7794-127-9. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  15. ↑ Ferran Freixa; Xavier Miserachs; Gran Teatre del Liceu; Gran Teatre del Liceu. Consorci, Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona (1990). Gran Teatre del Liceu. Consorci del Gran Teatre del Liceu. ISBN 978-84-85905-77-5. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  16. ↑ Xavier Miserachs; Ramon Pla i Arxé (1992). El Gran Teatre del Liceu en Sevilla. L'Avenç. ISBN 978-84-85905-91-1. Retrieved 19 October 2011. 
  17. ↑ Antoni Puigverd; Xavier Miserachs (1996). L'Empordà: llibre de meravelles. Edicions 62. ISBN 978-84-297-4203-9. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  18. ↑ Joan Barril; Toni Catany (1942-) (1995). Ciutat Vella: visions des d'una passió. Lunwerg. ISBN 978-84-7782-332-2. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Xavier Miserachs (1998). Fulls de contactes: memòries. Edicions 62. ISBN 978-84-297-4366-1. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  20. ↑ Joan Domènech i Moner (September 1998). Girona, a quatre vents. Lunwerg Editores. ISBN 978-84-7782-534-0. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
  21. ↑ Pàniker, Salvador; Fotos:Xavier Miserachs (2004). Conversaciones en Madrid y en Cataluña (in castellà). Editorial Kairós. ISBN 978-84-7245-569-6. Retrieved 2011-10-19.  .
  22. ↑ Regàs, Rosa; Fotos:Xavier Miserachs (2006). Memòries de la Costa Brava. Lupita Books.  .
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Exposicions col·lectives de Ricard Terré". Web oficial de Ricard Terré. 2011. Retrieved 12/01/2012. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Xavier Miserachs. 1 segon i 25 centèsimes, pàg 114. ISBN 84-7664-362-4
  25. ↑ Lamalla.cat, ed. (07/03/2000). "El fotoperiodisme de Miserachs, un luxe a exposició". Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  26. ↑ Radio Praha, ed. (11/02/2006). "Barcelona de Xavier Miserachs por primera vez en Praga" (in castellà). Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  27. ↑ Fundació "la Caixa", ed. (2007). "Exhibit's file". Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
  28. ↑ "En clave de mujer". 2008. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
  29. ↑ Xavier Miserachs Archive - MACBA
  30. ↑ Archivo - Xavier Miserachs

Further reading

  • López Mondéjar, P. (1999). Historia de la fotografía en España. Barcelona: Lunwerg editores. pp. 235–236. ISBN 84-7782-660-9.
  • Vázquez Montalbán, M. (2001) (en catalán). Barcelona dos mil anys i un dia : primer Premi de fotografia Xavier Miserachs. Barcelona: Ketres Editora, S.L.. ISBN 978-84-85256-93-8.
  • Colita; Miserachs, X. (1988). Colita, Xavier Miserachs. Febrés, X.. Ayuntamiento de Barcelona. Dirección de Servicios Editoriales.. ISBN 978-84-7609-155-5.
  • Català-Roca, F.; Terré, L. (2007) (en catalán). F. Català-Roca i X. Miserachs, dues mirades al territori : memòries de la Costa Brava. Gerona: Fundación Caixa de Girona. ISBN 978-84-611-8171-1.
  • Xavier Miserachs. Barcelona: Fundación La Caixa. 1992. ISBN 978-84-7664-362-4.
  • Maspons, O. (1998) (en castellano, inglés). Xavier Miserachs. Madrid: T.F. Editores. ISBN 978-84-95183-09-5.
  • Coombs, H.; Miserachs, X.;Maspons, O.; Pumphrey, D.; Dodman, J.F. (2007). Xavier Miserachs. Madrid: La Fábrica. ISBN 978-84-96466-88-3.
  • Arrouye, J. (2004). «Le ténebrisme de Xavier Miserachs». Cahiers d'études romanes (11): pp. 101–110. ISSN 0180-684X.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Xavier Miserachs.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.