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This Is War! Robert Capa at Work / Gerda Taro / On the Subject of War

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Seven years after the West’s ‘War on Terror’ began in Afghanistan, Barbican Art Gallery reflected on conflict and its visual representation, in a series of interrelated exhibitions. 

Tagged with: Art Gallery Archive

This is War! Robert Capa at Work was curated by the pre-eminent Capa scholar Richard Whelan, who died in May 2007. 

Gerda Taro was curated by Ire Schaber, Taro’s biographer and scholar, Richard Whelan, and Kristen Lubben, ICP Associate Curator.

The Subject of War was curated by the Barbican.

This is War! Robert Capa at Work was supported by: BNP Paribas and the National Endowment for the Arts; Alex Hillman Family Foundation, George and Bicky Kellner, The John and Annamaria Phillips Foundation, and Cornell Capa.

Gerda Taro was supported by Alex Hillman Family Foundation, George and Bicky Kellner, The John and Annamaria Phillips Foundation, and Cornell Capa. With additional support from Linda Hackett for C. A. L. Foundation, Ellen and Richard Kelson, The Liman Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Nierenberg, Susan and Elihu Rose Foundation, Arnold and Louise Sagalyn, Bernard Lee Schwartz Foundation, and Lois and Bruce Zenkel.

Media Partners: LBC 97.3FM, LATES and Time Out London's First Thursdays

This Is War! Robert Capa at Work

Robert Capa (1913–1954) was one of the leading photographers of the twentieth century and defined how modern warfare was photographed. 

This exhibition, which included over 150 images, illuminated Capa’s working process and featured many of the photographs that have become iconic images of war. 

The exhibition featured six of his most important war stories; The Falling Soldier and The Battle of Rio Segre, both capturing the Spanish Civil War; the Sino-Japanese War; American troops landing in Normandy on D-Day; and the liberation of Leipzig, including images of the last man shot in World War II. 

Gerda Taro: A Retrospective

The talented and groundbreaking German photographer, Gerda Taro (1910–1937) spent her brief but dramatic career photographing the Spanish Civil War alongside Robert Capa, her lover and collaborator. She was one of the first female photographers to work on the frontline and the first to be killed in action in 1937, aged just 26, whilst covering the battle for the city of Brunete. 

Taro’s unflinching images of the casualties of war, distinguished by her experimentation with the dynamic camera angles of New Vision photography, are a remarkable contribution to the tradition of war photography. This was the first exhibition of her work in the UK. 

On the Subject of War: Artistic responses to Iraq & Afghanistan

On the Subject of War presented some of the most significant works of international contemporary art made in the context of current events in Iraq and Afghanistan: Omer Fast’s The Casting, (2007); Geert van Kesteren’s Why Mister, Why?, (2004) and Baghdad Calling, (2008); Paul Chan’s Tin Drum Trilogy, (2002–05) and An-My Lê’s 29 Palms, (2006) and Events Ashore, (2005–08). 

Each artist reflected on the subjects of war and their experience of conflict – whether as victims, combatants, perpetrators or observers. At the same time, each considered how visual imagery mediates our experience and understanding of conflict and questions the capacity of art to effect change in a time of war. 

Touring

This is War! Robert Capa at Work and Gerda Taro were touring exhibitions from the International Center of Photography, (ICP), New York.

This is War! Robert Capa at Work went on to:

Forma, Milan, Italy (March-June 2009)
Museu Nacional d’Arte de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain (July-September 2009)
Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam (October 2009-January 2010)
Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, Spain (July-September 2010)
Hospederia Fonseca (University of Salamanca)
Salamanca, Spain (January-April 2011). 

Gerda Taro went on to:

Forma, Milan, Italy (March-June 2009)
Museu Nacional d’Arte de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain (July-September 2009)
Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam (October 2009-January 2010)
Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany (January-May 2010) 
Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, Spain (July-September 2010)
Hospederia Fonseca (University of Salamanca), Salamanca, Spain (January-April 2011)
Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama, Japan (January-March 2013).