MADRID.- Fundacion Mapfre inaugurated the photography exhibition Jitka Hanzlová, a first for the city of Madrid, which will be on display at the Azca gallery (Avenida General Perón, 40) until the 2nd September.

Jitka Hanzlová (Náchod, Czech Republic, 1958) is one of the best-known photographers on today’s international art scene. In her work, Hanzlová seeks out the essence of individuals, the natural world and objects, and highlights the relationships and tensions that occur between them. As such, the images she creates are very direct, condensing down the physical presence of the objects and beings she represents.

This show, organized by Fundacion Mapfre, is the largest international retrospective of Hanzlová’s work, and includes all of her most representative photographic series, as well as three previously unseen groups of work: Horses, Flowers and There is Something I Don’t Know. The Foundation worked very closely with the artist in the production of the final part of the There is Something I Don’t Know series, which features photographs taken here in Madrid.

The exhibition catalogue, published by Fundacion Mapfre, is the first publication to encompass all of Jitka Hanzlová’s work to date, and includes reproductions of the 142 photographs that appear in the show. The catalogue presents, in Spanish, English and German versions, an essay on the artist’s entire body of work and an interview with the photographer by the show’s curator, Isabel Tejeda. Each series of photographs is accompanied by commentaries and essays written by experts such as John Berger, Terézia Mora, Zdenek Felix and Jesús Carrillo. Completing the publication is a biography by Carlos Martín and a list of the artist’s exhibitions.

Participating in the press conference were Pablo Jiménez Burillo, Director General of the Institute of Culture of Fundacion Mapfre, the photographer Jitka Hanzlová, and the exhibition’s curator, Isabel Tejeda.