text and images courtesy of Casa Planas.
Josep Planas i Montanyà established himself as the photographer of the imaginary of the Balearic Islands of the 50s and 60s. Photographer of the tourist boom and collector, he was a pioneer in the industrial production of postcards and aerial photography.
Born in Catalonia, the photography entrepreneur and founder of Casa Planas arrived in Mallorca in 1942, settling on the island with the aim of becoming a professional in the photography trade. In 1947, he opened his first specialist photography shop and marked the beginning of the evolution of a company that would come to have more than 14 establishments and over 300 employees. Casa Planas produced millions of images from the era when the tourist boom arrived, and his camera captured the development of tourism and the economy of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
His great passion for the Mediterranean resulted in a collection of images of different beaches, still pristine. He was also the first European photographer to buy a helicopter, enabling him to capture an aerial perspective. With these photographs taken from upon high, it is possible make a comparison of the impact caused on coastal areas due to construction, or see a city – Palma – in full expansion mode, thanks to his images of great documental value today.
Also, his images traveled around the world in the form of tourist postcards, spreading the image of the island internationally and supporting the mass tourism phenomenon. His lifework is still conserved at Casa Planas, a a collective organisation founded by the artist Marina Planas, grand daughter of Josep, in 2015. In addition to promoting the photographic legacy of Josep and studying the imagery and history of the territory and of mass tourism in the island, Casa Planas is as an independent non-profit project born in response to the urgent need for a centre for interdisciplinary contemporary creation and interpretation of tourism in the Balearic Islands.
Visit the website: http://www.casaplanas.org/
Casa Planas from Casa Planas on Vimeo.
