The stunning Magnum Gallery in Paris, features Valparaiso – Los Abandonados, an exhibition of works by the mysterious photographer Sergio Larrain. Curated by Agnès Sire the show presents a selection of more than 40 vintage and early gelatin silver prints by the acclaimed Chilean artist.

Despite a relatively short professional photography career, Larrain’s outsized and enduring impact on the photographic community can be traced largely to two series from the 1950s and ‘60s. Renowned for producing thoughtful and poetic images, Larrain’s legacy is perhaps distinguished most by his profound ability to capture the ineffable.

Many of Larrain’s most recognizable images were shot in his home country, particularly in Valparaiso, a port city in Chile. The eponymously titled book, not published until 1991, emerged from work started in 1957 when the photographer was travelling for a magazine story alongside the esteemed poet Pablo Neruda. An expanded version of Valparaiso will be released in September of this year by Atelier EXB, along with a biographical book titled The Lost Photo by Catalina Mena.

In Valparaiso, Larrain continued experimenting with unique vantage points and unconventional framing, simultaneously establishing and expanding his visual vocabulary. From architecture and street scenes to nightlife with dancers and sailors, uncanny beauty seems to permeate each frame. While intimately connected, his preceding work had focused on children who were abandoned on the streets of Santiago and elsewhere. Upon seeing these photographs, Henri Cartier-Bresson, whom Larrain admired and later counted as a mentor, invited him to join Magnum Photos. Larrain joined, but not long after retreated from media work and professional photography altogether, immersing himself in artistic and spiritual practices in the mountains of Chile.

Valparaiso – Los Abandonados is on view at Rue Léon Frot, from 18 September – 30 November, 2024.

Image: Bar Los Siete Espejos, Valparaiso, 1952, gelatin silver print, annotated on verso, 40 x 30 cm / 16 x 12 in (paper size) © Magnum Photos