Valentín Vega Fernández (1912 - 1997) was a renowned
photographer from Asturias.
He grew up and trained in Gijón. His parents were very
interested in photography and his brothers ended up also dedicating themselves
to photography by setting up their own studios. During the Civil War he was secretary
of the UGT in Gijón. He was imprisoned for three years because of his political
affiliation.
By 1941 he began visiting the Asturian mining basins,
especially the Nalón, as a traveling photographer or "street
photographer". In 1951 he moved to El Entregowith, where he opened a photo
studio. Here he also worked as a teacher of physical education and athletics
since the 60s.
Valentín Vega is especially known for his portraits of the
daily life of the mining towns of Asturias in the 40s and 50s: shops, miners,
charcoal women, fairs, parks, etc.
Despite his prolific work, only part of his work was saved
from the 1941-1951 period (more than 70,000 negatives) by the Asturian People's
Museum of Gijón, where it is preserved. Between January and March 2017, the
National Museum of Anthropology (Spain) has dedicated an exhibition to him:
"Valentín Vega: La Vida por delante".
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