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Un hombre vestido como mujer se mira a un espejo
Carlos Berlanga ©Jesús Ugalde, VEGAP, Madrid, 2026
Chica rubia posa a cámara
Mujer posa con una bola de acero en la mano
Hombre posa a cámara con las manos entrelazadas
Chica y chico posan con sus guitarras en un campo
Un hombre sujeta un platillo con un dedo en su mano derecha
Músico frente a sus instrumentos en un local de grabación
Chico toca el piano apoyado en él

'Nada espontáneo. Una mirada a los 90', a photographic exhibition by Jesús Ugalde, arrives at Matadero Madrid

Now open in Nave 15 at this space within the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport
  • Alejandro Sanz, Carlos Berlanga, Martirio, Amaia Montero, Ariel Rot, and Christina Rosenvinge are among the stars featured in these snapshots.
  • The exhibition also includes cinema-themed photographs, such as a previously unreleased image from the set of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, featuring Pedro Almodóvar.
  • The show coincides with Matadero Madrid's outdoor musical programming, highlighted by the European Music Day at Matadero (DEMM) and the 'Superestrellas' series at CinePlaza.

Matadero Madrid, the contemporary creation center of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport, is now hosting Nada espontáneo. Una mirada a los 90 ("Nothing Spontaneous: A Look at the 90s"), an exhibition of portraits by photographer Jesús Ugalde. The 22 selected snapshots are part of the photographer’s archive from the 1990s, when he worked for the country's major record labels, including Sony, Warner, and Universal.

The exhibition, which will be on display in the windows and doorways of Nave 15 for visitors walking through Plaza Matadero over the coming months, captures unique moments such as the recording of the album Sin documentos by Los Rodríguez; the first photoshoot for a then-unknown La Oreja de Van Gogh; and portraits of Alejandro Sanz taken just before the release of Más, the album that would establish his stardom.

A look at the poses of the 90s

The title refers to the lack of spontaneity that characterized the decade. “Those were years marked by artifice and posing. Now, in the world of social media, we are all accustomed to posing, but the seeds of this were already present in the 90s,” explains Jesús Ugalde.

The exhibition features key figures from the 1990s Spanish music scene. In addition to Alejandro Sanz, Los Rodríguez, and La Oreja de Van Gogh, the collection includes other icons who rose to fame during that decade, such as Rosana, Martirio, Manolo Tena, Raimundo Amador, Christina Rosenvinge, and Lole, among others. A standout piece is the portrait of Carlos Berlanga dressed as Gala, Salvador Dalí’s wife—an unreleased photograph that Matadero has chosen as the official poster image for this exhibition.

The exhibition also makes space for cinema, with portraits of Antonio Banderas and Fernando Trueba (winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for Belle Époque in 1993), as well as a very special photograph of the moment Carmen Maura is bathed in gazpacho, an iconic sequence from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. This image, showing Pedro Almodóvar directing the scene, has not been publicly exhibited until now.

Jesús Ugalde, portraitist of Spanish culture

Photographer Jesús Ugalde Solís (Madrid, 1964) specializes in portrait and fashion photography, with a career spanning over 30 years. A large part of his work is deeply linked to culture (cinema, music, literature, theater), having portrayed Spain's leading artists since the late 1980s, when he began his career after attending the Madrid School of Arts and Crafts and working as an assistant to Paco Navarro.

This collaboration with Navarro, along with his work assisting the legendary Horst P. Horst on a report for Vogue, opened the doors of the profession to him. In the 90s, he became the primary photographer for Warner Music Spain, BMG, Universal, Sony, and DRO, giving him access to the record labels' top artists.

In subsequent years, Ugalde collaborated with publications such as Man, Neo2, Fotogramas, Marie Claire, and Interviú, where his portraits of divas like Belén Esteban, Bárbara Rey, Bibiana Fernández, and Ana Obregón sold thousands of copies. The publishing house Planeta has also commissioned him for portraits of writers such as Maruja Torres and Alice Kellen.

In recent years, Jesús Ugalde has stood out as a stage photographer, serving as the official photographer for the Teatro Español and Nave 10, the center for contemporary dramaturgy. His work has been featured in collective exhibitions at the Sala El Águila in Madrid, the Centro Niemeyer in Avilés, Casa Velázquez, and the Ochoymedio bookstore in Madrid. His most recent exhibition is a collaboration with artist Carlos Aires titled La muerte nos sienta tan bien ("Death Suits Us So Well"), exhibited in Carabanchel in July 2025.

Matadero Madrid's musical programming

Nada espontáneo. Una mirada a los 90 coincides with Matadero Madrid's summer musical programming. From June 19 to 21, it will host the European Music Day at Matadero Madrid (DEMM), a festival featuring Maria Arnal, Alizzz, pablopablo, Ángeles Toledano, Depresión Sonora, Rita Payés, and Lucía Fumero, among others. Additionally, throughout the month of July, the 'Superestrellas' series will return, bridging cinema and music through Matadero Madrid's outdoor summer cinema.

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