FRANCISCO GÓMEZ

Francisco Gómez, (1918–1998), known as Paco Gómez he is one of the undisputed names of contemporary photography in the second half of the twentieth century. His presence in the photographic media begins with his admission to the Royal Photographic Society in 1956, it continues his subsequent entry into Afal in 1957 and the formation of the group La Palangana in 1959, with photographers like Gabriel Cualladó, Gerardo Vielba or Ramón Masats. This group was the initial germ of the so-called School of Madrid. The union of the group resulted from the close friendship among them and in common aesthetic and theoretical considerations about photography, far from the pictorialism and "salonism" that prevailed at the time, and with greater concern for social issues. Paco Gómez maintained an innovative way of looking, which is astonishingly relevant today, photographing interiors and exteriors of buildings and architectural constructions of the time. His importance in photography is also secured by its identification as a member of the School of Madrid. Much of the photographic legacy of Paco Gómez belongs today to Fundación Foto Colectania. It can also be found in collections such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS), the IVAM and the Telefonica Foundation. Ramón Masats sais about him, "he was, in my opinion, the best photographer of my generation. Neither more nor less." (VV.AA.:2008)