In issue number 322 (April, May and June 2023), Revista de Catalunya has dedicated the indexed dossier to the photographer Francesc Català-Roca as part of the celebration of the centenary of his birth.

The monographic dossier was coordinated by Sílvia Tena, doctor in Art History, head of the MNAC Collections Management Department and member of the magazine’s editorial board.

The articles are by prominent scholars of photography and of the work of Francesc Català-Roca: Carmelo Vega, Photographic logics of tourism: gaze and destiny of Francesc Català-Roca; Martí Rom, The trained eye: the documentaries on Miró by Francesc Català-Roca; and Laura Terre, Català-Roca in black and colour. Ideas in the context of the advent of colour photography. 

These articles deal with little-known or still-to-be-studied aspects (for example, the use of colour) of one of the icons of universal photography of the 20th century, whose artistic research stands alongside that of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa. With his work, Català-Roca changed the concept of photography to turn it into a living witness of reality. His interest in the snapshot led him to capture the movement of everyday life on the streets of Francoist Spain in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, as well as in other places he visited driven by his interest in world travel. He explored the different possibilities of advertising and graphics and dedicated himself to publishing books for the tourism industry. He also maintained a relationship with the artists Joan Ponç, Antoni Tàpies and Salvador Dalí and shared a close friendship with Joan Miró. And all this led him to broaden his research focus to include studio portraits and collaboration in films.

The round table will be featured by Carmelo Vega, associate professor of Contemporary Art History at the Department of Art History of the University of La Laguna; Martí Rom, president of the Centre Miró in Mont-roig, disseminator of Miró’s work and film maker; and Laura Terré, curator of the Català-Roca Year, doctor in Art History and expert in photography. The moderator will be Sílvia Tena, doctor in Art History, researcher on 20th century art and head of the Collections Management Department of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. The event will be presented by Lluïsa Julià, doctor in Catalan Philology, literary researcher and critic, current first vice-president of the Ateneu Barcelonès and editor of Revista de Catalunya.

This event is held in collaboration with the National Archives of Catalonia.