The Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione (ICCD) was founded in 1975 when all the production of two historical institutes flew into it: the National Photographic Cabinet (GFN), founded in 1895 by Giovanni Gargiolli, and the National Aerial Photo Library, founded in 1958. In recent years, the Institute’s interest has also turned to contemporary photography with the acquisition of archival copies of authorial photographic projects.

Photolux Magazine’s journey through Italian photographic archives starts from the Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione in Parma, one of the first public institutions to deal competently with photography and today an efficient multifunctional space dedicated to culture and communication. It all began in the 1960s, thanks to Carlo Arturo Quintavalle and a trip to the United States.