Barcelona 1957 brings to light one of the most remarkable unpublished projects in Spanish photography. Created when Leopoldo Pomés was just twenty-five years old, the work originated as a commission from the publisher Carlos Barral, who invited the young photographer to produce a photobook portraying Barcelona. Although the project was completed and enthusiastically received, it was never published, remaining hidden in Pomés' archive for more than half a century before finally appearing in book form.
The photographs capture a city far removed from the idealised image promoted during the Franco era. Rather than focusing on monuments or picturesque landmarks, Pomés turns his attention to the people who gave the city its character. He wanders through the Eixample, the Raval, the harbour and the working-class outskirts, photographing labourers, children, street vendors, cafés and anonymous passers-by with an extraordinary sense of timing and visual sensitivity. The result is an intimate portrait of Barcelona at a pivotal moment in its history, revealing both its social contrasts and its quiet everyday poetry.
Already in this early body of work, many of the qualities that would define Pomés' career are fully evident. His instinctive use of light, his elegant compositions and his remarkable ability to find beauty in ordinary life distinguish these photographs from conventional documentary work. While deeply rooted in reality, the images possess a lyrical quality that transforms fleeting moments into timeless visual narratives.
The publication itself is conceived as a faithful reconstruction of the long-lost project. Rather than simply presenting an archive, the book restores the original vision behind the commission, allowing readers to experience the sequence as it might have appeared had it been published in the late 1950s. Accompanied by essays and a conversation with the novelist Eduardo Mendoza, the volume also provides valuable insight into both the photographer and the city that shaped his artistic vision.
More than a historical document, Barcelona 1957 is a portrait of a city observed with freshness, curiosity and remarkable maturity. It reveals Leopoldo Pomés at the beginning of an extraordinary career, already demonstrating the visual intelligence and humanist sensibility that would make him one of the most important figures in post-war Spanish photography. Beautifully produced, the book stands among the finest Photography Books dedicated to Barcelona, preserving a body of work that remained unseen for decades and offering a unique window onto a vanished world.
