From the end of March 2015 until the 30th of August this year, the Museo das Peregrinacións e de Santiago gives shelter, with free access, to The exhibition José Guitián. Photographer in Compostela 1950-1980. Despite his Cuban origins, most of this artist’s life has been spent in the capital of Compostela. He began his career in the field of photography as a disciple of great masters such as Ksado or Almeida. Later, at the beginning of the fifties, he began his work independently, achieving great fame with his studio “Foto Guitián”.
In spite of his more than 40 years of work, it is not possible to frame his peculiar and very extensive work within any particular type of photography. Although it is true that he specialized in portrait and scientific photography, he also photographed streets, corners, people and customs of Santiago. In this exhibition we will be able to see some of his popular night shots that transport you to past decades capturing magical places and moments. The people and their customs were also the first target of Gaitian’s camera. From the early stages of the dictatorship to the rupturist decade of the eighties, Gaitián tells us the story of a city from the social and urban point of view that will remind us of past times unknown to most people and others in which we find ourselves.
Through this initiative, the Museum of Pilgrimages and Santiago reaffirms itself as a “national museum institution and a centre for documentation, research and interpretation of Santiago and pilgrimages”. From here we applaud this initiative for its great value for the culture and history of Santiago and, without a doubt, we recommend its visit, which enriches and complements even more, if possible, our visit to this monumental city.
