On June 11, 1988, Gegë Marubi, photographer and patriot, passed away.

He was born in Shkodër in 1907 into the family of the renowned photographer Kel Marubi. The Marubi family has made the greatest possible contribution to the history of Albanian photography. They have produced over 15,000 photographs, negatives, documenting the most significant events of the time, important personalities, scenes from Albanian life, clothing, costumes, weddings, and the entire ethnographic life of Albania.

Gegë Marubi, introduced to photography as a child at the Marubi Studio, went to study at the Lumière Brothers School in Paris in 1923. Upon his return in 1927, he began his career as a photographer alongside his father.

In his collection of photographs, taken in and outside the studio, we find almost every possible element that has influenced the history of Albania. He started applying infrared photography techniques in Albania. His photography differed from his father’s in terms of lack of staging of events or facts, as well as in the method of lighting, with a greater contrast where side lighting gained strength, somewhat more cinematic. Primarily a studio photographer, he also worked on demand as a reporter covering important events in the country, as well as documenting ancient monuments and objects for various projects.

In 1937, his studio was awarded the gold medal at the Fiera del Levante in Bari. In 1952, the Marubi studio became a state studio under the Repair-Services Enterprise.

In 1970, Gegë Marubi donated the family’s photographic archive to the state and was appointed its custodian. In the photo library, he focused on registering and archiving the collection.

The National Museum of Photography “Marubi” in Shkodër is a treasure trove that encompasses an archive of over 500,000 negatives, depicting families, citizens, soldiers, politicians, and local traders in Shkodër, everyday moments, and historical events from the mid-19th century to the end of the 20th century.

He was the last photographer of the family and is regarded as one of the most distinguished photographers in the Balkans of his generation.

/k.s/