Muelle, between the city and the sky of Madrid 

In 1987 the magazine Tiempo commisioned the young journalist José Antonio Rojo to make a photographic report of the graffiti writer who had Madrid plagued with his signatures. He was Juan Carlos Argüello, better known as Muelle.  

The place chosen to the photo shoot was the Fine Arts Circle in the central Alcalá street of Madrid, an ideal place thanks to the views of the city that can be seen from its terrace. Upon arrival, under the custody of the sculpture of the goddess Atenea, guardian of the roof, Juan Carlos left his well-known signature on one of its walls as a presentation.

After taking several shots with different sets, they decided to climb to the tower that rises above the terrace for Muelle to sign his left hand and pose, showing his signature, with the sky and the panoramic view of the city of Madrid in the background.  

Juan Carlos' photo, dressed in a cap, bow tie and sunglasses, with his iconic signature on the palm of his hand, was published days later in the magazine. That young man who had just graduated in journalism had no idea that this snapshot would become, in his own words, the most important of his career. 

An unexpected gift

That morningquella mañana, , José Antonio Rojo not only get the most laureate imagen of his professional career. Juan Carlos also gave him también a beatiful gift, a dedicated signature on a tile of the emblematic building that got lose on the ground. Years later, someone broke it by accident, but after the annoyance the photographer was able to put it back together piece by piece.

Tal como él mismo relata, «ahora se asemeja a esas vasijas romanas que la paciencia del arqueólogo ha reconstruido con mimo». 

A long-haul image. 

In 1989 the photograph was selected for the Fotopress Awards sponsored by the Fundación La Caixa and displayed in Madrid and Barcelona.  

In 1995 Juan Carlos passed and the photo became, until the arrival of Internet, in almost the only graphic reference of the artist.

En el año 2.000 formó parte de la exposición «25 años después. Historia de la Transición». La exposición, patrocinada por la Fundación Telefónica contó en la inauguración con la presencia del Rey D. Juan Carlos y la Reina Doña Sofía. Cuenta José Antonio Rojo que tuvo la posibilidad de explicar a los monarcas quien fue Juan Carlos Argüello.