5TH INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL OF CASTILLA Y LEÓN

Palencia, Castilla y Leon, Spain

30 April - 01 June 2025

WOMEN’S FACES, ENDLESS PATHS

For Frank Horvat (1928–2020), photography was never mere documentation—it was something closer to poetry. The son of a Hungarian doctor and an Austrian mother, he was born in Croatia but, as a child, sought refuge in Switzerland with his mother and brother. He lived in six countries and thought, spoke, and wrote in four languages. Over six decades, he immersed himself in cultures across the world, ultimately settling in Paris, though he always felt he belonged nowhere. Elegant and introspective, his work was a tool for self-exploration. He was consistently drawn to the figure of the woman, upon whom he focused his gaze. “Stop smiling! Never look at the camera!”, he would often tell his models. From the late 1950s onwards, Horvat made his mark on fashion photography, placing models in real-life situations and capturing the energy of the street around them. For him, womanhood was a metaphor through which to understand the world. His images explore not just feminine beauty, but also the emotions and conflicts it can stir in men: desire, love, even frustration. His work reflects a constant quest for love, an experience he saw as complex and often unattainable.