Agustí Centelles facts for kids
Agustí Centelles Ossó (born 1909 in Valencia – died 1985 in Barcelona) was a famous Catalan photographer. He is well-known for his work during the Spanish Civil War, where he took pictures for the Republican side. When he had to leave Francoist Spain, he was held in camps in France. There, he continued to photograph daily life, especially in the camp at Bram. Many consider him one of the first Spanish photojournalists. He was even called the "Spanish Robert Capa" because of his direct style and his skill with a small Leica camera. This camera helped him capture many scenes from the Civil War.
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Life of Agustí Centelles
Early Life and Learning Photography
Agustí Centelles' family moved to Barcelona when he was just one year old. In 1924, when he was 15, he started working as an apprentice in the photo studio of Ramón de Baños. There, he learned how to take portraits. A few years later, he became an assistant to Josep Badosa. Josep taught him about journalism and taking pictures for newspapers.
Centelles was one of the first photographers to use the small Leica camera. By 1934, he began working on his own for several newspapers. These included La Publicitat, Diario de Barcelona, Última Hora, and La Vanguardia.
Photographing the Spanish Civil War
When the Spanish Civil War began, Centelles was sent to the Aragon front. His job was to report on the soldiers there. He took many important pictures during battles like the Battle of Teruel and the Battle of Belchite. Many of his war photos were used to spread information and support for the cause. They often appeared on the front pages of major newspapers, especially La Vanguardia. He also worked for the Catalan Propaganda Commission and managed the photo archives for the army in Catalonia.
One very famous photo from this time shows George Orwell with the POUM militia at the Lenin barracks.
Exile and Hidden Negatives
In 1939, Centelles had to flee Spain and cross the Pyrénées mountains into France. He took with him what he believed were his most important photo negatives. Sadly, Nationalist troops took the rest of his negatives from his home. These were later bought by the Salamanca Archive in 2009.
In France, Centelles was held in several camps. But he managed to keep his negatives and cameras safe. He even set up a small photo lab in the camp at Bram, near Carcassonne. He did this thanks to a press card from the French authorities. He documented life in the camp in a diary and took over 600 photographs.
In 1939, he got special permission to leave the camp temporarily to work on the harvest. Later, he found a job at a photography studio, which made his permit permanent. In 1942, he met members of the French Resistance. He began taking pictures to help them create fake identification documents.
In 1944, some members of the resistance group were arrested. Centelles had to hide his photo lab. He left his negatives in Carcassonne in the attic of the Degeilh family, who had helped him during his time in exile. He did this because he knew that if he returned home with these photos, they could put the people in them in danger from the Francoist authorities. After that, he returned to Catalonia, passing through Andorra. He lived secretly in Reus for two years.
Return to Spain and Later Career
In 1946, Agustí Centelles returned to Barcelona and reported to the authorities. He was put on trial but was later released on parole.
Because of his past political activities, he could not go back to being a photojournalist. So, he started working in industrial and advertising photography. He took pictures for well-known products like Chupa Chups lollipops and Anís del Mono liqueur.
In 1976, Centelles went back to France with his friend Eduard Pons Prades. He went to get the negatives he had left behind during his exile. These images were later shown in exhibitions. This helped Centelles become recognized again as an important war photojournalist. In 1984, the Ministry of Culture gave him the Spanish National Award for Plastic Arts.
Today, his sons, Sergi and Octavia, work to share their father's amazing photography with more people.
See also
In Spanish: Agustí Centelles para niños
