In 1963, Catany settled in Barcelona, where he still lives. Self-taught, he began to work as a freelance artist in 1966 creating travel features, a task he dedicated himself to for a brief time before finally turning to artistic photography. In 1976, Catany began to work on portraits, nudes, still lifes and landscapes, working in the traditional calotype technique and later on, with transported Polaroids, always on the basis of subjectivity and his experiences. National and international recognition arrived in 1979 with series of still lifes in colour and in black and white.
He has published numerous books and catalogues, such as Natures Mortes, which won the award for the best Llibre Fotogràfic (Photographic Book) at the Primavera Fotogràfica de Catalunya festival (1988). His work has been on display at Palau Solleric in Palma (1991), the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid (1997), Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires (1998) and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya in Barcelona (2000) as well as the Fundación Telefónica in Madrid (2003). He has won the following awards: the Premio Primavera Fotogràfica (1990), the European Publishers Award (1997), the Premi Nacional de Cultura of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2000), and Premio Nacional de Fotografía awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture (2001). In 1990, the French Government made him a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His work can be found in the collections of museums and institutions such as the Bibliothèque national de France, Paris, Musée d’art moderne de Paris, Musée Nicéphore Niépce, Chalon-sur-Saône, France, Università di Parma, International Polaroid Collection, USA, Museu de Mallorca, Palma and the Fundació Foto Colectania, Barcelona, among others.
DISEÑO WEB MALLORCA