The collections of Publicidad Matas, Fermí Miró and Ramón Rabal are added to the island’s photographic and audiovisual heritage.
The Consell de Mallorca is expanding its Arxiu del So i de la Imatge with three new collections of great historical value. They are the photographic and audiovisual heritage of the company Publicidad Matas, the photographer Fermí Miró and the photojournalist Ramón Rabal.
The vice-president of the Consell de Mallorca and councillor of Culture and Heritage, Antònia Roca, stresses the importance of these additions: ‘These collections allow us to preserve and disseminate the visual memory of the island, offering the public a window onto our history and cultural identity’. Furthermore, she assures: ‘we continue to consolidate the ASIM as a benchmark in the conservation and dissemination of Mallorca’s audiovisual heritage, making a documentary collection of great historical and artistic value available to researchers and citizens alike’.
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The Consell de Mallorca expands its Arxiu del So i de la Imatge with three new collections of great historical value
Publicidad Matas
Publicidad Matas is one of the oldest and most important companies in Spain, and it is dedicated to advertising and communication in cinemas. It was created in 1924 by its founder, Joan Matas Salas, under Diapositivas Matas, which eventually became Publicidad Matas.
The collection, assembled by the founder Joan Matas himself, is dated between 1924 and 1978. It comprises 30,000 items of different types produced in the company over over fifty years. This archive, in addition to its creative relevance, is a reflection of the values, customs and tastes of Mallorcan society throughout the 20th century.
Fermí Miró Roca
Fermí Miró Roca (Manacor, 1906-1970), jeweller and photographer, was the son of the jeweller Antoni Miró Pomar, who owned a jewellery shop in Manacor. In 1934, together with his wife, he founded the ‘Joyería Fermín’ jewellery shop in Alaró. On the first floor of the house he set up a photographic studio where he took portraits and photographs of the village celebrations.
The Fermí Miró Roca photographic collection consists of 860 black and white glass plates and 68 black and white plastic negatives. The thematic content consists of portraits of people and images of various celebrations in the streets of Alaró between 1935 and 1940. These images have great historical and social value, documenting specific moments in the local history of Mallorca.
Ramón Rabal Gracia
The photojournalist Ramón Rabal Gracia (Catalonia, 1954 – Palma, 2021) worked in different media of the Balearic Islands such as El Día and Diari de Balears. He carried out reports on illustrious visitors to the islands. Later, Rabal joined the communications office of the Calvià Town Hall. He also worked in news agencies, where he enjoyed great prestige.
The Ramón Rabal photographic collection is made up of 30,000 colour slides and 10,000 colour negatives. Its thematic content is very diverse and includes landscape, ethnography, historical and artistic heritage, architecture and portraiture. It is of great historical, social and documentary value.