After an exhibition dedicated to the work of photojournalist Ruth Orkin, the Cascais Cultural Centre hosts a showcase of Lucien Hervé, one of the most significant architectural photographers of the 20th century. "Lucien Hervé: Flashes of Man in the Modern City" opens on May 4th and can be visited until June 30th.
The Franco-Hungarian became renowned primarily for his sensitivity in photographing buildings designed by modernist masters like Le Corbusier or Oscar Niemeyer. Many of these architectural projects, in fact, gained fame thanks to his images.
As the exhibition demonstrates, he also had a sociological and even philosophical vision of photography, in the way he combined the human figure with the architecture and cities of the 20th century. In addition to that, he also turned his camera to the ancient cities, with narrow and dark streets, seeking to capture their essence.
"Lucien Hervé: Flashes of Man in the Modern City" is curated by architects Isabel Alvarenga and Victor Neves and was specially conceived for the Cascais Cultural Centre.
According to the curators, Hervé "achieved a perfect harmony between his humanistic vision, combined with the analytical vision of the architect, emphasizing with the use of light the geometric shapes and textures of materials, exemplifying the spatial experience, creating a visual narrative capable of conveying the bodily sensation of space." For him, with camera in hand, the city was the work of art – and the human being its protagonist.
CCC, Avenida Rei Humberto II de Italia, 16. Tue-Sun 10.00-18.00. 5€