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Agenda Municipal / Exhibitions From Famalicão to the World: 50 Years of Leica in Portugal

Until 12 Nov
Casa das Artes | 09h00

Opening hours: From Monday till Friday from 9h00 to 18h00.

Many customers are surprised to learn that parts of their Leica camera are manufactured in Portugal. Leica is "Made in Germany", yet for five decades a part of the production has been realised in the north of Portugal. In the 1970s, rising costs in Germany drove the company to Vila Nova de Famalicão, a town with a long manufacturing history, where employees had already specialized in precision mechanics. 

Both locations, Wetzlar and Famalicão share with the world a passion for expertise, precision, and craftsmanship. The factory in Portugal now has more than 800 employees. In addition to the employees, the Portuguese community also has a large number of photographers who use a Leica. 

The exhibition "FROM FAMALICÃO TO THE WORLD: 50 YEARS OF LEICA IN PORTUGAL", curated by Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, the international director of the 26 Leica Galleries, celebrates the success, diversity, and community that has linked Wetzlar and Famalicão since 1973.

Using archival photographs, the series "Five Decades" demonstrates the commitment and dedication, as well as the evolution of this factory that began in 1973 with just over 10 employees. Gonçalo Fonseca, the winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award Newcomer 2020, shows the series "One Day" that documents the factory's routines, 50 years after its beginning. For the first time in Portugal, a set of 12 iconic photographs by names such as Ralph Gibson, Steve McCurry, Joel Meyerowitz, Thomas Hoepker, or Barbara Klemm, winners of the Leica Hall of Fame award, an award that celebrates the career of photographers who contributed to the development of the brand and photographic art, will be on display. On the first floor, we find "The Faces of Today" where we can see the portraits of each of the current Leica employees in Portugal, authored by renowned photographer Michael Agel.

As we look back on the years of history and tradition of the Portuguese/German company, we continue to look to the future. Innovation continues to stand at the centre of activities, both in Famalicão and in Wetzlar.

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