Images spanning Camilo Sesto’s artistic career and private life are set to become a key cultural memory for visitors. A future museum in Alcoy will house a substantial portion of these visuals, reflecting the singer and composer’s universal appeal. The collection will sit alongside other materials in the city’s growing archive, with more than five hundred photographs taken by Juan Santiso Iglesias. The originals are stored within the Pablo Iglesias Foundation, an institution dedicated to the memory of the founder of the PSOE. Copies have been transferred to enable digital formats that can be viewed and consulted in new ways.
The core set includes 524 slides that form part of the Pablo Iglesias Foundation’s Santiso Fund, according to municipal authorities. The fund exists because Juan Santiso conducted significant work for the PSOE during Spain’s transition to democracy and in the 1980s. The photographer, who passed away recently, was a major reference in photojournalism from the late Franco era. For instance, he provided the only photo coverage of a 1968 concert at the Complutense University of Madrid by Raimon, which drew an audience of six thousand students.
Santiso’s career blended political reportage with what was then known as the show business press, reflecting the broader artistic scene of the time. This explains why the Santiso Fund contains 524 images featuring Camilo Sesto, now a cornerstone of Alcoy’s cultural heritage. A recent agreement between the City Council and the Pablo Iglesias Foundation lays the groundwork for transferring and using the slide collection.
City leaders, including Mayor Toni Frances, Deputy Mayor Jordi Martínez, and Cultural Council Member Raül Llopis, traveled to Madrid to retrieve the slides. They were accompanied by Camilo Sesto’s heir, Camilo Blanes Ornelas, as well as the artist’s representatives. The signed agreement transfers the slides to the City Council so the local institution can digitize them and create duplicates. One set will be returned to the foundation along with the original material, while another will form part of the Camilo Sesto Museum’s holdings. The council will credit the authorship to Juan Santiso Iglesias and acknowledge the Pablo Iglesias Foundation as the source in all publications and reproductions.
Here are some of the slides where Camilo Sesto appeared. Information
After the transfer, the mayor emphasized the significance: the museum aligns with Camilo Sesto’s long‑standing wish to help people understand the artist more deeply. The Alcoy site, located at 44 El Camí street, sits within one of the buildings that once housed the old Alcoy nursing home, a structure dating back to 1879 and 1880. The initial phase of the project focuses on restoring the building’s framework, with a budget of 185,691.62 euros and an expected nine‑month timeline.
The cultural council notes that the reevaluation law was signed recently, signaling that the work will commence soon. As described by Raül Llopis, preparations will move ahead once all necessary materials are gathered. The plan includes replacing deck skirt joists on the inner courtyard, which means some improvements may not be visible from the street. Nevertheless, the overall schedule remains fixed for the planned October start. The project is designed to modernize the facility while preserving its historic character, ensuring the Camilo Sesto legacy is accessible to residents and visitors alike.