100 Years Leica - Spanish Photographers

The Legacy of Leica in Spain

The iconic German camera brand Leica commemorates its centenary with an unprecedented photographic exhibition in an emblematic venue: the Fernán Gómez. Centro Cultural de la Villa de Madrid.

The exhibition "Leica. A Century of Photography" celebrates 100 years since the creation of the brand's first camera, the legendary Leica I, through an exceptional journey through the work of great international photographers.

There are 174 photographs on display by a selection of authors associated with Leica during the 20th and 21st centuries. Of these, 36 are by Spanish photographers, demonstrating Leica’s impact on Spanish society.

Their Relationship with Leica

Clemente Bernard
Bernardo Pérez
Álvaro Ybarra
Manolo Laguillo
César Lucas
Manuel Sonseca

Agustí Centelles

Agustí Centelles (1909 – 1985)

He was one of the most important photographers of the Spanish Civil War. His documentary work rigorously and passionately portrays the events of the war and life during the conflict. Centelles was a war correspondent and captured iconic images that have left their mark on Spain's historical memory. After the war, he continued his photographic work in exile and in the post-war period. His work is fundamental to understanding documentary war photography in Spain and has been recognised internationally with exhibitions and awards.

Anna Turbau

Anna Turbau (1949-2025)

She was a documentary and artistic photographer who explored social, cultural and human issues with a committed and poetic eye. Turbau developed projects focused on collective memory, identity, urban transformation and the lives of working women. She immortalised with her camera the demonstrations by workers at the Vigo shipyards, the conflict over the construction of the AP-9 Atlantic Motorway and the cruel conditions at the Conxo psychiatric centre in 1977. Her work combines documentary rigour with aesthetic sensitivity, offering a profound reflection on today's society. In 2017, she received recognition for much of her work thanks to the exhibition A intimidade da imaxe (The Intimacy of the Image), accompanied by the publication Anna Turbau. Galicia, 1975-1979 (Consello da Cultura Galega). Her work forms part of collections in museums such as the Reina Sofía and has been exhibited at festivals such as PHotoESPAÑA.

Ramon Masats

Ramón Masats (1931-2024)

A key documentary photographer in the history of Spanish photography. His photographs depict post-war Spain, particularly rural and urban life, with a style characterised by an ironic, direct and sober view of reality. He was a member of the Afal group, which renewed Spanish photography in the 1950s and 1960s. He published seminal works such as Los Sanfermines and in 2004 he received the National Photography Award.

A Century of History