Road-Trip through Europe

Joel Meyerowitz (b. 1938) ranks among the most important photographers of his generation, who redefined how reality can be captured and conveyed with a camera. He was also one of the early proponents of colour photography as a way to illustrate the chaos and proximity of street life. The Museo Picasso Málaga now dedicates a comprehensive showcase to the artist’s seminal European road-trip of 1966/67. More than 150 images will be on display, many of which have never been exhibited before.

In 1966, not long after leaving his advertising job in New York to pursue photography, 28-year-old Joel Meyerowitz embarked on a year-long exploration of Europe – driving 20,000 miles through 10 countries, and recording 25,000 photographs. During this time, he settled in Málaga for six months, where he befriended the Escalonas, one of the city’s most prominent Flamenco families. This yielded some 8,500 images, and hours of high-quality sound recordings of live flamenco performances. The unique experience, which gave rise to an extraordinary photographic portrait of Spain at the height of the Francoist dictatorship, was hugely influential for Meyerowitz, and had a long-lasting impact on his signature style. His return to New York was followed by his first ever solo exhibition at the MoMA in 1968, featuring 40 photographs taken in Europe from the window of his moving car.

The comprehensive showcase at the Museo Picasso Málaga encompasses vintage and large-format prints in both colour and black-and-white. The result is an in-depth visual account of Meyerowitz’s travels through England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, as well as Turkey, France, Spain, Germany, Greece and Italy – with a core focus on the time he spent in Málaga.