The Valentí Claverol Foundation
Based in Andorra, The Valenti Claverol Foundation becomes the natural heir to the Valenti Claverol Archives that were founded in 1970 by photographer Valenti Claverol Cirici and his son Josep Claverol Sesplugas. Today, the foundation houses the lifelong work of Valenti Claverol and his father, pioneer Andorran photographer José Claverol. The combined body of work encompassing over 7000 negatives and prints as well as a very important part of the history of the Principality in cinematographic format represents almost a century's worth of images both still and in movement. This immense collection is in itself part of the history of Andorra. José Claverol took the oldest photograph of the Archives in 1874. The earliest images in cinematographic format within the collections date as of 1932.
The Amadeo Bordalba collection is acquired by the Foundation in 2012. 258 glass negatives of photographs taken between 1904 and 1918 now form part of the Foundation’s permanent collection.
The laborious task of dating and classifying the negatives was modified through the years with the evolution of computer-based tools. In early 1998, The Valenti Claverol Archives began its digitalization program. Today, all the photographs in held by the foundation are stored on CD-ROM. This state-of-the-art system allows information to be transmitted in electronic or paper format without having to manipulate the sensitive old glass slides and prints. The restoration and further digitalizing on DVD format of the Cinematic collections was concluded in 2005. The fragile negatives and original cinematic film rolls are kept in fireproof safes in conditions of stable temperature and humidity.
With this digital database, The Valenti Claverol Foundation is prepared to maintain its role as a primary source of information for research on the history of Andorra in the new millennium. Whether the research is in Andorra or outside of its borders, the foundation’s extensive material, whether historical, photographic, cinematic, or philatelic, is made available through its headquarters in Andorra.
The Valenti Claverol Foundation will continue, as did The Valenti Claverol Archives to collaborates with The Andorran Ministry of Culture as well as nationals and international institutions and organizations in making its archives available for exhibits, publications, historical projects, research and international events. Selections from the Foundation’s collection of photographs have been shown across Europe and the United States.
