The Valentí Claverol Foundation
Dear Friends,
I, like most of the planet, alongside my family was confined on March 14th of 2020. The COVID pandemic was spreading like wildfire, and we were all told to “shelter in place”.The initial days wore off, and it was time, it usually never is, to clear out boxes and sort through paperwork that had been lingering for far too long. I came across a book written by Jean Bacquer and edited by my father Valenti Claverol, through his imprint “Editions VALENTI CLAVEROL”, published in 1959.
Marvelling through the pages, I was taken aback by the sheer change our country has undergone, and whilst confined in March 2020, I was still moved by the prologue written superbly by Isabelle Sandy, and the honesty in the text.
This foundation which I am honoured to preside, with a very active Board of trustees, who support a same goal, the goal here being that of continuing the work of José and Valenti Claverol, the divulging and explaining of our historical patrimony with a special emphasis of the education aspect of the historical and sociological aspect of our history.
Photography and cinematography are an important tool, a tool that preserved, preserves and will preserve history, in the making, in the moment, and for times to come.
Through the different generations of my family, deeply rooted in our Valleys as early as 1762, as referenced in the book La Consorcia d’Andorra expertly written by Pere Canturri Montanya in 1989. Photography has always been an important part of our lives; the mediums may have changed through the years but photography remains deeply rooted amongst us and continues through the Foundation
In a world where history seems to be questioned daily, often without objective interpretation, History through the art of photography needs to be taught, enjoyed and understood, it cannot be cancelled, nor rewritten.
The Valenti Claverol Foundation is a team, dedicated to the preservation of the Principality of Andorra’s history, through the work of Valenti Claverol and José Claverol, for this generation and generations to come, with respect, humility and an overwhelming desire for that the history of a small Pyrenean country travels far and wide, for all to understand, to appreciate and to learn from.
My father would often say “I need to photograph our history, so that we all know where we come from, where we are headed and how we got there”
With warm regards,
Josep Claverol Sesplugas
