William Klein (New York, 1928) is one of the key figures in 20th-century photography. His open, transgressive spirit and his artistic nature, which strays far from rules and tradition, made him one of the principal photography reformists of his time. Large formats, framing that took chances, the marked grain of the photos, a sense of architecture and a greatly impactful human vision are some of the fundamental characteristic features of his work. The La Pedrera Catalonia Foundation, advised by the exhibition's curator, Raphaëlle Stopin, and by the artist himself, welcomes you to explore the artistic world of the American photographer through some 200 works in this first retrospective exhibition held in Barcelona.
The exhibition highlights the multifaceted nature of Klein's work, which not only focuses on his role as a photographer but also brings to light other facets of his art, such as his forays into the worlds of fashion photography, advertising, cinematography, and even in the field of painting, as much when he paints in oil as when contact sheets are directly involved.