The Toni Catany International Photography Centre intends to open this year

The Toni Catany International Photography Centre in Llucmajor could be inaugurated before the end of 2022. At the moment, work is being finalised to complete the interior fittings. The aim is to open the space before the end of this year.

The CIFTC will join the network of cultural infrastructures of the Government of the Balearic Islands and will become the photography centre of reference in the region. It will also serve to interpret the work of the Mallorcan photographer. The cultural space will bring together the collection of 100,000 negatives and slides and 2,000 copies of the photographer’s images, as well as 300 photographs by other authors that formed part of his collection and the Tomàs Montserrat collection.

The Toni Catany International Photography Centre

The Toni Catany International Photography Centre comprises three houses located at Carrer del Convent, 31 (the photographer Tomàs Montserrat’s house) and 33 (known as Sa Trinxa), and at Carrer Toni Catany, 4 (where the photographer lived), formerly known as Carrer Cardenal Rossell. The space is divided into a basement, ground floor, first floor and second floor. The first floor houses a workshop, storerooms, temporary exhibition room and technical rooms; the ground floor is used for reception and foyer, temporary exhibition room and photography classroom-workshop; the first floor consists of a permanent exhibition room, library, archive and consultation room; and the second floor has offices and an archive.

The building has a floor area of 1650 m2. This project by the architect Josep Lluís Mateo is conceived as a space integrated into the urban environment. The houses of Catany and Montserrat are linked by a large central courtyard, which is also a general access from the street and an initial meeting place for visitors. In addition, the architect is committed to the use of traditional materials from the area, such as stone and sandstone, and also introduces elements of sustainability and energy efficiency.

Toni Catany Foundation

In April, the Toni Catanay Foundation, directed by Antoni Garau, signed a collaboration protocol with the Govern de Catalunya to set up the CIFTC. In this sense, a programme of events will be held to mark its inauguration. Specifically, the space will host an exhibition of works by a photographer of international prestige, a representative exhibition by Toni Catany, a communication campaign by the Centre aimed at publicising the inaugural events and the artistic content to be exhibited, and a programme of guided tours.

For President Armengol, during her visit to the space, the Toni Catany International Photography Centre “puts the Balearic Islands on the world map of photography with a space that will be the seed of future island artists”. He also recalled that “Toni was a magnificent intellectual and photographer, one of those people who make Mallorca and the Balearic Islands great. It is only right not only to honour his memory, but also to preserve and disseminate his work, bringing it closer to all citizens and visitors”.

Armengol stressed that “the Balearic Islands is once again a pioneer in Spain with the second leading international photography centre in Spain and the legacy of one of our most universal artists”. “The CIFTC puts Llucmajor, Mallorca and the Balearic Islands on the world map of photography and projects our culture with a centre that will be the seed of future island photographers and artists,” she said.