Jean Denis Walter has opened the 3rd edition of the Sportfolio festival in Narbonne. This year there are 15 exhibitions that have been organised in the heart of the small commune of Aude. With many impending sporting events this month, such as Roland Garros, Euro 2016 and also the Le Mans 24 Hour Race, L’Oeil de la Photographie is going to share an aspect of Sportfolio 2016 with you every day for six weeks.
Today our focus is on the exhibition « Génération Spanghero » with photographs by L’Equipe magazine and AFP agency.
“A game that doesn’t hurt is a lost game” Walter Spanghero.
An exhibition paying homage to the Spanghero brothers’ 20-year links with Racing Club de Narbonne (RCN), from the first time Walter wore the orange shirt in 1961, to the departure of his brother, Claude, in 1980.
The ‘Spanghero years’ correspond to the presidency of Mr Bernard Pech de Laclause, the man who put RCN – now Racing Club de Narbonne Méditerranée – firmly on the French rugby map.
It was a golden age for this historical club. Narbonne was runner-up in the French championship in 1974 and lifted the Bouclier de Brennus in 1979. The club also dominated the Challenge Yves du Manoir, winning in 1968, 73, 74, 78 and 79.
Narbonne was where big hits and sublime passes were dished out in equal measure. And it was an era when ‘French flair’ was kitted out in orange and black – and fans worshipped in the rugby stands with the same fervour as they did at church.
The historic club’s soul, its deep values, and extraordinary heritage were brought to life, by some great French rugby names: Gérard Sutra, the Spanghero brothers, Didier Codorniou, Jo Maso, François Sangalli. It is impossible to list them all, but you will find every one of them at the heart of this unique exhibition.
FESTIVAL
Sportfolio 2016
From May 27th to June 19, 2016
Curator : Jean-Denis Walter
Génération Spanghero
Outdoor
Cours de la Madeleine
11100 Narbonne
France
http://www.festivalsportfolio.fr
