Rediscovered Luis Ramon Marin photos go on display

A handful of the most outstanding photographs by Luis Ramon Marin, the figure now regarded as the world’s first photojournalist, are currently on display at the Instituto Cervantes Bucharest. BR attended the grand opening and presents the highlights of Marin’s rediscovered photographs.

By Oana Vasiliu

The exhibition is less about the large body of Martin’s work, which includes over 18,000 negatives, and more about the story behind this impressive collection. The photographs were hidden by his wife Eduarda Pla in a cavity behind her kitchen wall for several decades after the Spanish Civil War, for fear they would be destroyed due to their political content. His daughter Lucia then donated them to the Spanish Pablo Iglesias foundation, which restored and digitalized his photo archive.

Marin was born in Madrid in 1884. He initially worked as a civil servant, but from the age of 24 he started his photojournalistic career by imaginatively capturing Spanish society. Marin’s talent for revealing the inner character of his sitters extended into his employment as press correspondent to the Royal Family. During this period, he gained exclusive access to their home and also followed them on their private holidays. One great result is King Alfonso XIII Dancing at the Venta de la Rubia Stables (Madrid 1916), where the king is captured enjoying himself in the stable yard, seemingly unaware of any observers. Part of the significance of Marin’s photographs lies in their historic value. He recorded important national events, traced the development of modern industry and documented the lead-up to the Spanish Civil War right up until its end, capturing all of the grim moments in between.

Marin was also known to have captured many of the women of high society. The glamorous Portrait of the artist Josefina Baker in her Dressing Room (Madrid 1930) shows the performer at the height of her success.