Photographic Library
A tour of the country’s cultural heritage
Mas Archive
Adolf Mas (1860-1936) trained as a photographer in Barcelona at the end of the 19th century. In 1901 he founded a first establishment for the sale of photographic material that would a few years later become the “Studio of Photography A. Mas”, predecessor of “Arxiu Mas”.
Very close to the artistic circles of the time, he became the photographer of reference for architects such as Josep Puig i Cadafalch; the latter would contract him to photograph his buildings as an inventory.
His regular clients include national institutions – such as the Institut d’Estudis Catalans, the Junta de Museus de Barcelona, the Centro de Estudios Históricos de Madrid, etc. – and international ones – the Hispanic Society of America, the Frick Art Reference Library, the Metropolitan Museum, Harvard University, etc.
After the Civil War, the Mas Archive was acquired in 1941 by Teresa Amatller. This made it possible for it to survive, thus incorporating it into the collection of the Institut Amatller d’Art Hispànic.
