Sergio Larrain. El vagabundo de Valparaíso | Chile

Sergio Larrain (1931–2012) was a singular figure in twentieth-century photography. A member of Magnum Photos, he developed a deeply personal body of work shaped by a free, poetic and enigmatic approach to street photography.

The exhibition at Foto Colectania brings together nearly 80 photographs taken in Chile, with particular emphasis on the Valparaíso series, the artist’s most extensive and celebrated project. Developed between the late 1950s and the mid-1960s, this series explores the Chilean port city through its hills, stairways, shadows and inhabitants, shaping an urban landscape experienced from proximity and lived experience. The project culminated in the book Valparaíso, published in 1991 with a text by Pablo Neruda, and has since become a key reference in the history of Photobooks.

© Sergio Larrain / Magnum Photos. Calle principal de Corleone. Sicilia, 1959