Then & Now

Europe. ‘Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.’ The quote is most likely due to writer and philosopher George Santayana, and in its original form it read, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The theory of history repeating itself is as old as history itself. Hopefully, we can learn from previous mistakes and avoid rushing headlong into chaos. ‘Then & Now’ is dedicated to raising awareness of remembrance, common European history and values.

He Had His Heart in His Eyes

France. Compassion and empathy are probably the best ways to describe Willy Ronis’ attitude toward the many people who caught his eye throughout the 20th century. As the surrealist poet Philippe Soupault wrote, “Willy Ronis has his heart in his eyes.”

If you can find pleasure and fun you become inventive.

The United Kingdom. Elsbeth Juda brought a new modernist artistic vision to Britain from Germany. Although a trailblazing female photographer, Juda’s artistic contribution is largely unrecognised today. She disregarded fashion photography’s formal conventions, using unusual, often incongruous backdrops for her shoots.

A Love Story Out of the Ordinary

Spain. Gala was born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova in Kazan, Russian Empire, to a family of intellectuals. In 1912 she was sent to a sanatorium near Davos in Switzerland for the treatment of tuberculosis. While in Switzerland, she met Paul Éluard. In 1916, during World War I she traveled from Russia to Paris to reunite with him—they were married one year later.  In early August 1929, Éluard and Gala visited a young Surrealist painter in Spain—the emerging Salvador Dalí. 

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