Mónica Carabias

Mónica Carabias Álvaro is Director of the Centro Nacional de Fotografía, an institution under the Subdirectorate-General for Visual Arts and Contemporary Creation of the Ministry of Culture. She holds a PhD in Contemporary Art History from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). She was Associate Professor of Art History at the Faculty of Geography and History at UCM until joining the CNF as its Director in January 2025. From 2023 to 2025, she served as Director of the Complutense Institute for Feminist Research and, from 2019 to 2023, as coordinator of its Doctoral Programme in Feminist and Gender Studies.
For more than two decades, she has pursued an active research career focused on 20th- and 21st-century Spanish photography, the recovery of photographers and photographic archives, and increasing the visibility of women in artistic creation. She has participated in various national R&D&I projects led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), as well as in international and European projects. She has also led research projects and knowledge-transfer contracts related to photography, visual memory, and contemporary culture. She is a member of research groups specializing in photography and documentation and has supervised doctoral theses and teaching innovation projects.
Her career combines research, teaching, curatorial work, and cultural management. She has curated numerous photography exhibitions, including exhibitions devoted to Joana Biarnés, Gerardo Vielba, Fernando Nuño, César Lucas, and Miguel Trillo. She has also served as a member of the jury for the National Photography Award and the National Award for the Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, among others. She is the author of books, articles, and book chapters on Spanish photography, visual heritage, and contemporary artistic creation.