Marubi photo collection to turn into virtual museum

TIRANA, Aug. 7 – The Marubi photo collection, one of largest in the Balkans dating back from 1855, will turn into virtual museum. A Euro 100,000 project financed by UNDP Art Gold 2 programme and Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia region will make possible the computerization of a collection comprising over 150,000 photos, many of which are of great historical, artistic and cultural significance. The collection was compiled by three generations of photographers of the Marubi dynasty.
“Our goal is to establish a virtual Marubi museum within 2013 which will be addressed to all those people around the world appreciating the most important pictures in the Balkans. This project is addressed even to those who target tourist trips to these countries, starting from cultural heritage,” say Italian photography experts.
The history of Albanian photography started with Pietro Marubi, an Italian migrant fleeing political repression from his country. He opened Albania’s first photography studio in 1858. Three generations of Marubis will follow in his footsteps. For about a century, the Marubi family amassed more than 120,000 negatives. The selection of pictures reveals the political, social, cultural and religious diversity of the country.