As part of the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, the exhibition Rui Ochoa. 74–99 portrays the first twenty-five years of democracy in Portugal via the most iconic images that captured that period, showing not only its most prominent political, social and cultural leaders but also everyday Portuguese citizens.

The show surveys Rui Ochoa’s vast career as a photojournalist with a retrospective of his work that encompasses a wide range of themes. It reviews the history between 1974 and 1999 and the most representative people from that time who participated in it: politicians, artists, musicians, businesspeople and writers. The exhibition also identifies struggles for freedom, labour conflicts and social progress in favour of a better country.

Through a painstaking selection of images, the exhibition also sheds light on the parallels between the fifty years of democracy in Portugal and Spain, given that both countries had similar historical journeys from the end of their dictatorships to the enactment of new constitutions and the first free elections.

Born in Oporto in 1948, Rui Ochoa was the photographic director of the newspaper Expresso between 1989 and 2008. He also worked as the newspaper’s chief reporter and editor. In addition to Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, he also covered hundreds of international events, like the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Romanian Revolution and the first Gulf War. He has published more than twelve books and has featured in exhibitions in different parts of the world.