"I hope to stay unemployed as a war photographer till the end of my life." - Robert Capa (1913-1954)
Alas, Capa's hopes were destined to be dashed, time and time again. In the course of his extraordinary career, he would cover no less than five conflicts. After fleeing his native Hungary moving to Berlin, he witnessed the horror and destruction of the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, WWII across Europe, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and, lastly, the First Indochina War, where he lost his life stepping on a landmine.
Capa's photos are powerful and poignant, visceral and intimate, historical and personal, often hard to watch as he always seemed to find himself at the heart of the action. It's impossible not to think that he felt something for the subject of his photos, some sort of emotional connection. Be it the last living moment of a Spanish soldier, the lost gaze of a captured invader, the hopeful smile of liberated people, or the arrival of the American troops on the shores of Normandy, Capa's legacy is one of iconic imagery shot through a lens of unparalleled humanity.
A thoughtfully curated show running at MUDEC in Milan until 19/03/2023.
"Death of a Loyalist Soldier", 1936
Sicilian peasant telling an American officer which way the Germans had gone. Near Troina. Italy. August, 1943
Woman gathering a bundle of hay on a collective farm, Ukraine. August, 1947
Crowds celebrating the liberation of Paris. August 25th, 1944.
Moscow, former USSR, 1947
Ukraine, Kiev former USSR, 1947