An exhibition dedicated to Robert Capa, one of the greatest photojournalists, in Parma until 15 January. Black-and-white shots of faces and places from the Second World War.
A surprising and moving exhibition at the elegant Palazzo Pigorini in Parma: Robert Capa in Italia 1943-1944, dedicated to the great war photojournalist, with images that recount the years of the Second World War in Italy. Until 15 January, 78 black-and-white shots capable of bringing back to life moments that changed the history of our country.
One of the greatest exponents of photojournalism, if not the greatest, Robert Capa (Budapest, 1913 – Thái Binh, Vietnam, 1954) covered war so closely that he spent most of his life on battlefields and died like a soldier during the Vietnam War. Well known is the image by Elliott Erwitt portraying the photojournalist's mother in tears at Capa's grave, on show at the Forte di Bard in Valle d'Aosta in a magnificent exhibition until 15 November.
If your photographs aren't good enough, you weren't close enough (Robert Capa)
Over more than twenty years of "service", Capa covered as a journalist the five major world conflicts: the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Second World War, the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and the First Indochina War. Always on the front line to recount not only the battle, but the daily life of those who endure wars defencelessly — ordinary citizens.
In the charming city of Parma, until 15 January, a selection of 87 black-and-white shots by Robert Capa, displayed with great skill at Palazzo Pigorini, a fine late-eighteenth-century building that lends the photographs even greater dramatic power.
Small rooms, or small alcoves, different levels, carefully designed and unobtrusive lighting draw the visitor into wartime — not only onto battlefields but into cities razed to the ground, along streets, across fields. Capa's perspective is distinctive, recognised and acknowledged as one of the most authentic. Thus, beyond the faces of soldiers caught resting or lying wounded on the ground, the Hungarian photographer captures everyday life in Italy during a conflict that brought the nation to its knees.
An elderly woman in mourning among the ruins of Monreale in Sicily, citizens in Naples queuing with flasks for their water ration, the universal joy at the arrival of American troops — these are just some of the scenes captured by Capa's camera, which had the ability to place everyone on an equal footing. Victor and vanquished, soldiers and civilians, equal before the atrocity and destruction of war.
The exhibition is open every day except Monday, from 10am to 6pm. Admission costs 8 euros.