The aim of this section is to share our ongoing exploration of Tony Keeler’s archives.
The images are grouped into thematic series each of which contains between 6 and 15 images.
New series are added as we discover keeler’s unknown gems.
PARTY IN CAN MARIAS
“Party in Can Marias” is the label Tony Keeler gave to the negatives from which the images of this series have been selected. This was the name of his home in Ibiza, tucked away in the northern hills of the island, it’s access, a stony path that meandered through olive groves and pine woods.
Through this series, we enter Keeler’s camera and follow his guests as they arrive and while they wonder about. Together, the images form a curious mosaic of entwined movement.
CATHARSIS
Tony Keeler’s first visit to Menorca in 1962, coincided with the festivity of Saint John the Baptist in the island’s capital, Ciutadella. This ancient and perduring celebration takes place every year during the 23rd and 24th of June, thus marking the beginning of summer.
In his article “Sant Joan:Tradición y Catarsis”, anthropologist Jaume Mascaró Pons offers an explanation for the particular ambiance of this celebration: “…the combination of strict and structured ritual with an atmosphere of collective exhilaration produces a cathartic effect of great impact.” The title of this series is evidently inspired on Mascaro’s article, which we recommend for further study of the history and significance of this tradition.
After his first visit in 1962, Keeler returned to Menorca in 1968 to capture more images of this event. This series compiles a sample of images from both occasions. A few of the 1962 pictures were once published in photography magazine Imagen y Sonido (June 1965, Issue 24). However, the majority of images within this collection have never come to light to this day.
ATMOSPHERA CADAQUÉS
Tony Keeler first landed in Cadaqués during summer of 1963… and as so many others, he was totally blown away by the unique atmosphere of the place. From that point on, he began to frequent the village together with his wife Linda and their children. They felt at ease in this small as well as rich environment where local and cosmopolitan elements blend naturally. Tony, quirky American photographer, and Linda, Austrian turned Mediterranean; a curious tandem that flowed through the different Cadaqués social circles.
Through this series, you are invited to accompany Tony Keeler on his particular tour around Cadaqués and its surroundings. The images span over a period of various decades and offer a glimpse of Keeler’s Cadaqués archive.
The relationship which Tony and Linda began with Cadaqués, continues to this day through their children and grandchildren, likewise struck by this incomparable atmosphere.
TURNING HEADS
Tony Keeler’s humanistic interest has left us with a vast assortment of portraits of people from different walks of life. This series aims to explore visual dialogues across the globe through a small sample of these portraits.
Although black and white was Keeler’s main medium, he also enjoyed experimenting with color. The images included have been selected from his color slide collection, and are all coming to light for the first time.
A BREATH OF AÏR
Tony Keeler was particularly captivated by the landscapes and people of the Aïr Massif, a region within the Ténéré desert. The following series is a snippet of his work in this zone of the planet.
ISLAND IMAGES
In 1970, Tony and Linda Keeler were invited to a wedding in Ibiza. This first visit must have struck them somehow, as it marked the beginning of an infatuation with the island that would last throughout the whole decade.
What attracted romantics like Tony and Linda to Ibiza? Looking at the photos, we enter a world were tradition and alternative lifestyles appear to coexist harmoniously within an atmosphere of tolerance, embedded in unspoiled natural and architectural beauty.
When decades later Tony Keeler returned to the island, he focused on its remaining essence and commented: “No need for nostalgia… some things won’t change”
The following images are a small selection of Keeler’s Ibiza facet.