Dynasty Marubi

In the exhibition Dynasty Marubi – A hundred years of Albanian studio photography, Foam is showing a selection of photographs from the archive of the Albanian photo studio Marubi (1856–1959). Three generations of photographers made studio portraits of a wide variety of people ranging from the urban bourgeoisie and shepherds, to the Ottoman emperor and King Zog.

The extensive collection of 150.000 glass negatives is interesting from a historical, sociological, cultural and anthropological as well as artistic point of view. Events from the turbulent history of Albania – from Ottoman times to the communist period – social rituals, folkloric costumes and sociologically interesting group portraits can all be found in the collection. The exhibition is an introduction to the rich photographic history of an isolated European country.