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"It could be said that in London the young Sergio LARRAIN did not find a city but a universe." (free translated, © Roberto Bolaño)
"Sergio LARRAIN spent several months in London between late 1958 and early 1959. In the unique atmosphere of the British capital, he captured the photographic subjects that interested him and made the shadows of the city his own. A palpable gloom, between the cold and the humidity, allowed him to 'solidify that world of ghosts'. It was at this time that he joined the Magnum Photos agency and traveled the world, before isolating himself in the countryside, in Chile, and abandoning photography." (publisher's note, © Edicion Xavier Barral, 2020)
This issue follows the first one, published in 1999, which served as 'first draft' before Sergio LARRAIN made some changes. The Chilean photographer is remembered in the history of photography mainly for his sharp and brilliant eye, but especially for the pictures from Valparaiso. This photographic corpus, taken during the four months of his stay in London in the winter of 1958-1959, was the first important attempt by the photographer to prove himself, partly in the footsteps of Bill BRANDT, whom he cherished. Strangely enough, the photographs taken by Sergio LARRAIN in London in the manner of a stroller were rarely reproduced in the press, which would have been possible thanks to Magnum Photos, his new agency. During this trip to England, the budding photographer stopped off in Paris to meet his mentor Henri CARTIER-BRESSON and join Magnum.
Content
The photo book, here in the Spanish edition, 'Londres. 1959', by the Chilean Magnum photographer Sergio LARRAIN contains typical b/w shots from London in the late 1950s.
"This new edition of 'London', enlarged with unpublished photographs and visual associations that Sergio LARRAIN himself evoked in his many letters, also presents a text that the Chilean author Roberto Bolaño wrote specifically to accompany the work of his compatriot in 1999 and an essay by Agnès Sire, the artistic director of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, which explains that journey." (publisher's note, © Edicion Xavier Barral, 2020)
Spanish description
"Se diría en Londres el joven Sergio LARRAIN no encontro una ciudad sino un universo." (© Roberto Bolaño)
"Sergio LARRAIN pasó en Londres varios meses entre finales de 1958 y principios de 1959. En la atmósfera singular de la capital británica, captó los sujetos fotográficos que le interesaban e hizo propias las sombras de la ciudad. Una lobreguez palpable, entre el frío y la humedad, le permitió 'solidificar ese mundo de fantasmas'. Fue en esa época cuando se incorporó a la agencia Magnum Photos y recorrió el mundo, antes de aislarse en el campo, en Chile, y de abandonar la fotografía. Esta nueva edición de 'Londres', ampliada con fotografías inéditas y asociaciones visuales que el propio Sergio LARRAIN evocó en sus muchas cartas, presenta además un texte que el autor chileno Roberto Bolaño escribió específicamente para acompañar la obra de su compatriota en 1999 y un essayo de Agnès Sire, directora aristica de la Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, que explica aquel viaje."