The Brotherhood of Metaphors – Jean-Luc Godard

The Brotherhood of Metaphors offers an exceptional immersion into the creative universe of Jean-Luc Godard (1930–2022). Presented at La Virreina Centre de la Imatge, the exhibition is announced by the Barcelona City Council as the most comprehensive retrospective ever dedicated to the filmmaker, a central figure in the history of cinema as well as in contemporary debates surrounding art and visual thought.
The journey primarily allows visitors to delve into the behind-the-scenes of his creation. A large part of the exhibited pieces are unpublished: shooting notebooks, preparatory archives, photographs, paintings, personal books, programs, and press kits composed by Godard himself. The exhibition has been made possible thanks to the cooperation of his heirs, close collaborators, and collectors of his visual works.
Moving images naturally occupy an essential place. The presentation gathers 52 audiovisual documents, including films, documentary fragments, and interviews. Among the archives are also preparatory documents related to Histoire(s) du cinéma, allowing one to follow how Godard intertwined cinema, history, literature, photography, politics, and philosophy.
The interest of the visit thus goes beyond a simple cinematic retrospective: it allows one to discover how Godard worked and constructed his images, moving from notebook to shooting, from text to editing, and from cinema to visual arts. La Virreina places this production within a much broader context: Godard left behind at least two hundred film and video works, in addition to his writings, interviews, and visual art.
The project is also part of La Virreina's long-term work around film practices. Ten years after its exhibition dedicated to Alexander Kluge, the center thus brings together two major figures of European auteur cinema and extends a programming that has notably addressed Barbara Hammer, Pedro Costa, Marguerite Duras, Sara Gómez, Chantal Akerman, and Trinh T. Minh-ha.
To enhance the visit, La Virreina finally organizes free guided tours every Saturday and Sunday at 12 PM, in Catalan and Spanish, until September 27. Prior registration is required.

Find all practical information and plan your visit.