Ramon Rius (1900-1984) baked bread for a living, but he was also a very talented amateur photographer. The pictures he took during the mid-1930s of events unfolding around his modest shop in the center of Lleida, a town to the west of Barcelona, constitute a unique visual record of a violent and tragic time in the history of Europe.
With sharp eye, remarkable courage and the instincts of a photo journalist, Ramon Rius recorded the declaration of war by fascist officers on the steps of town hall and the desecration and burning of churches by leftist extremists. He had only to step outside the bakery door, or place his camera at the window of his family’s apartment above the shop to capture a series of moments that marked the journey of his ancient hometown and its once tranquil inhabitants into the maw of the Spanish Civil War.
Before he fled with his family to safer quarters outside Lleida, Ramon Rius put the negatives of his pictures into the main oven of the bakery, hoping they would survive the eventual destruction of his home and shop by German bombers. His plan worked, and thanks to his immense talent, bravery and foresight, we now have access to the largest collection of images from the Civil War in Lleida. This exhibit introduces the majority of Ramon Rius pictures, held for decades by his family, to a wider public for the very first time.
Carlos Ramos
With sharp eye, remarkable courage and the instincts of a photo journalist, Ramon Rius recorded the declaration of war by fascist officers on the steps of town hall and the desecration and burning of churches by leftist extremists. He had only to step outside the bakery door, or place his camera at the window of his family’s apartment above the shop to capture a series of moments that marked the journey of his ancient hometown and its once tranquil inhabitants into the maw of the Spanish Civil War.
Before he fled with his family to safer quarters outside Lleida, Ramon Rius put the negatives of his pictures into the main oven of the bakery, hoping they would survive the eventual destruction of his home and shop by German bombers. His plan worked, and thanks to his immense talent, bravery and foresight, we now have access to the largest collection of images from the Civil War in Lleida. This exhibit introduces the majority of Ramon Rius pictures, held for decades by his family, to a wider public for the very first time.
Carlos Ramos