7Eleven Gallery

The Opening of Robert Capa’s Mexican Suitcase

Many of us know the story of Robert Capa, the revered war photographer who gave the world insight into the action and violence of battle from a close up, outsider perspective. However, many of us don’t know about the Mexican Suitcase.

The last contact with the film occurred in Paris. Left behind with a friend for safekeeping before Capa fled to New York to escape the onslaught of German soldiers, the boxes disappeared during the course of the war.

After attempts by his brother, Cornell Capa to recover the missing negatives in the late seventies, and close to 80 years of dead end searches, the images these negatives hold will finally be seen by the public.

The exhibition is organized by assistant curater Cynthia Young.  The Mexican Suitcase provides an important and historical context for the work of three impassioned war photographers, and in doing so may call to mind the missing negatives of a more current state of war.

For more information on the story of the Missing Suitcase: http://museum.icp.org/mexican_suitcase/

For images from the exhibition and press release: http://museum.icp.org/mexican_suitcase/story.html