Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

17 May. MNAC's Department of Photography was opened in 1996 to promote Catalan photography and an appreciation of its history. The collection includes about 1200 photographs with examples of pictorialism, New Vision, New Objectivity, Neo-Realism and contemporary work. Some fifty of these photographs are on display in a single room of the museum, housed in the Palau Nacional (built for the 1929 International Exhibition).
Jorge Ribalta (1963 -), Viatges d'invencio (1987), creates photographic fictions using images of small-scale models (cf. Rodchenko's photographs of paper figures), Toni Catany (1942 - ) Natura Morta (1987/8), has developed Fox Talbot's calotype process, Martí Llorens (1962 - ), Avinguda Icaria (1987) toned using selenium and tea, also uses techniques originating in the early history of photography, Manuel Esclusa (1952 - ), Naufragi (1984), uses montage and like Ribalta interrogates 'indexicality' in fictional compositions, Mariano Zuzunaga (Lima, Peru, 1953 - ) arranges a grid of images repeated with small variations, reminiscent of work of Sol Lewitt.
Ton Sirera (1911-1975), Liquen sobre roca (1959), abstract microscopic textures. Leopoldo Pomés (1931 - ), Parallel (1957), Sensa titol (1957) (cf. Aaron Siskind, Walker Evans) is known for his architectural photography. Pere Català Pic (1889 – 1971), Vas de cristall (1935), study in light. Emili Godes (1895-1970), Cactus (1930). Josep Masana (1892 - 1979), Radiadors (1970), montage of repeated images.
Elsewhere in the museum can be found the postcards of Barcelona monuments and typical landscapes of Adolf Zerkowitz (Vienna 1884 - Barcelona 1972), and trichrome bromoil landscapes of Josep Maria Casals i Ariet (1901-1986).