Walter Benjamin (Berlin, 1892-Portbou, 1940) is the most important German intellectual of Jewish origin in the 20th century. Writer, philosopher, literary critic and essayist, he is considered one of its most unique critical, heterodox and prophetic voices and a key figure in contemporary thought. Passionate collector, he treasured a famous collection of children's books and toys, most of which were lost with the exile and confiscation of his property. The specimens from his collection kept by his son Stefan Rafael Benjamin (1918-1972) are the set of which we present a taste.
Frederic Marés i Deulovol (Portbou, 1893-Barcelona, 1991), from the same generation as Benjamin, collected in the Frederic Marés Museum in Barcelona the children's imagination of toy theaters, as well as the cutouts of German and French figures, stories and children's games that circulated in Europe at the end of the 19th century.
The exhibition Walter Benjamin. A journey through childhood imagination between Berlin, Barcelona and Portbou it unites Berlin, the alpha of his life, with Barcelona - a city he knew - considered around 1900 "the city of toys" with the manufacture of German and French models, and with Portbou, place of the sunset of Walter Benjamin's life. The toy book The Transformations of Fritz Sinnnreich (1815) connects theatrical culture with the spirit of play and allows visitors to photograph themselves behind their costumes and become a character.
Place and dates: Gran Teatre del Liceu de Barcelona. From 18 to 27 July 2025.
House of Culture Les Bernardes de Salt (Girona). From September 19 to December 20, 2025.
Benjamin Walter
