Photography has been, from its inception in Catalonia, a privileged means of expression. It has documented the transformation of society and has been a vehicle for creativity. Many institutions in the country conserve notable examples of artistic and documentary photography in their collections. Photographers from all disciplines are creating new artistic or documentary projects every day.
The Photography in Catalonia website aims to be a window on to the richness, quality and diversity of this world. A project like this can only be carried out thanks to the collaboration of many institutions (archives, libraries and museums) with their own individual collections, and photographers themselves, who have chosen the best of their holdings or their work, so as to present it before the public as part of a whole. The website also offers an overview of the activities and the many resources on photography, both documentary and educational, that are available throughout Catalonia.
This website is one of the fruits of the National Photography Plan which the Department of Culture has been promoting since December 2014 based on a governmental agreement devoted to this subject. It has been developed through a working group which brought together the conclusions of previous initiatives such as the 2011-2012 document from the Group of Experts on the Analysis of Catalan Photographic Heritage, which was created by the General Directorate for Archives, Libraries, Museums and Heritage, and the CoNCA (National Culture and Arts Council) report on the state of the photographic field, also from 2011. The project by Luz Gámiz "Museu Líquid de la Fotografia a Catalunya" (Liquid Museum of Catalan Photography) from 2014 was used as a basis for the definition of the website.
A group of experts has chosen a catalogue of 600 photographers essential to photography in Catalonia. Its aim has been to bring together all periods and photographic formats, with quality as the principal criterion. This list will be expanding year after year with the participation of other experts and institutions that form part of the project. Each institution has the power to present new authors for incorporation into the canon. All photography by anonymous or unknown authors is also open to be included on the website.
Joan Bufill. Photographer and Art Critic
Manel Esclusa. Photographer
Jordi Guillumet. Photographer and Professor at the University of Barcelona
Laura Terré. Historian of Photography
With the collaboration of various photographers and experts.
The website was published in November 2015 with more than 1500 photographs, more than 300 different resources and a complete virtual daguerreotype exhibition. This content will grow continuously through the website editorial team. New photos, institutions, collections and photographers will be added every month, and every two months there will be a new virtual exhibition, with all associated resources. A fundamental part of the project is the contact with the community of those interested in photographic culture. This will be carried out through various social networks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. In the last few months, new features have been added such as a blog, the possibility for users to create their own galleries and a space for the publication of personal projects.
If you wish to keep up to date with all this activity, you can subscribe to our newsletter.
The Photography in Catalonia website pays homage in its logo to the figure of Ramon Alabern, the engraver and photographer who, on 10th November, 1839, took the first photograph in Spain. This was in Barcelona, at a public meeting opposite the Llotja building, after which the resulting daguerreotype was raffled among the audience.
The documentation for each image is provided by each institution or artist. The website editorial team will complete and standardise this information when required. Other institutions are being worked with in order to improve the standards of photography documentation. One of the first fruits is the thesaurus on photographic techniques integrated into the Thesaurus of Art and Architecture.
National Archive of Catalonia
Photographic Archive of Barcelona
National Library of Catalonia
The Department of Culture. Catalan Agency for Cultural Heritage
MACBA. Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art
National Art Museum of Catalonia
New institutions will be added to the project on a monthly basis to make it richer and more diverse.
Director: Albert Sierra (ACdPC) and Conxa Rodà (MNAC)
Coordination: Luz Gámiz
Support: Sònia Amores
Design: Xavier Argente, Cecília Bofarull and Nik Sytnik. DOMO-A
Programming: Roger Amat and David Duran. SEIC
Xavier Arola. Director of the Catalan Agency for Cultural Heritage
Joan Bufill. Photographer and Art Critic
Enric Cobo. General Coordinator of Archives
Manel Esclusa. Photographer
Jordi Guillumet. Photographer and Professor at the University of Barcelona
Josep Maria Masachs. Director of the County Archives of Alt Penedès
Conxa Rodà. Head of Strategy and Communication of the National Art Museum of Catalonia
Francesc Olivé. Cultural Activity Manager of the National Archive of Catalonia
Pepe Serra. Director of the National Art Museum of Catalonia
Albert Sierra. Catalan Agency for Cultural Heritage
Laura Terré. Historian of Photography
