Pietro Donzelli

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Pietro Donzelli (born April 15, 1915 in Monte-Carlo , † May 27, 1998 in Milan ) was an Italian photographer . His photographs in black and white , especially from Italy in the 1950s and 1960s with the theme of loneliness , became internationally known and honored. He is considered one of the maestros of Italian photography. He has also worked as a curator and organizer of Italian and international photography exhibitions.

biography

Beginnings of photography 1915 to 1946

Pietro Donzelli was born in Monte-Carlo in 1915, but moved to Milan with his family at the age of three. He completed his training as a technical draftsman there in 1931 and initially worked for some time as an archivist for the state telephone company and later as the organizer of the photo library. It was there that he discovered his great love of photography and in 1939 bought his first own photo camera, a Zeiss Ikonta 6x9. When the Second World War broke out, Donzelli started in the advertising department of the telephone company and from then on attended the architecture course at the Scuola degli Artefici di Brera . But he only stayed until 1943, when he was called up for military service. After the war he returned to his homeland and became a member of the Circolo Fotografico Milanese . Only now, at the age of 31, did Donzelli begin to take photos himself.

The discovery of passion 1947 to 1967

A time of great commitment to photography began for Donzelli. In 1947 he founded the magazine Fotografia with Ezio Croci and Piero Di Blasi . In the following three years Donzelli organized exhibitions of Italian and foreign photographers, including Group des XV , D. Masclet , W. Laubli , La Bussola , H. Grindat , Fotoform , M. Hoepffner , A. Lazi , Village Camera Club - New York , Chargesheimer , H. Heinrich and Kitano CC . He also organized exhibitions of the Circolo Fotografico Milanese in Tokyo, Kobe (Japan) and New York and founded the Unione Fotografica with Alberto Buranelli, Clari, Enzio Croci, Piero Di Blasi, Edoardo Gioia, Orsi, Ornano and Luigi Veronesi . In 1954 he coordinated the Mostra Storica di Fotografia on behalf of the Ente Fiera Campionaria in Milan and in the same year published Fotografi Italiani with Luigi Veronesi , the first Italian yearbook of photography since the Second World War.

The former hobby photographer had long since established himself in national and international photography, not least as a curator and organizer. In the following years he worked on many international projects, publications and exhibitions of photography - especially the Italian one - such as the Unione Fotografica exhibition in Paris, the publications Ferrania , Photorama , Europa Camera , Fotopratica , L'Europeo ; as editor and then co-director of the Italian edition of the publication Popular Photography , at the Critica e Storia della Fotografia (together with Piero Racanicchi) or the exhibition Fotografi della nuova generazione together with the Unione Fotografica and the Pescara Photo Club with photography artists from 23 countries.

Honors 1968 to 1998

Pietro Donzelli received two awards for his commitment in 1968. He was honored with the Maestro Fotografo by the Federazione Italiana Associazioni Fotografiche (FIAF) and by the Società 3M with the award Una vita per la fotografia (“A life for photography”). Almost ten years later, Bolaffi Arte counted him among the top 20 Italian photographers. In 1995 the FIFG declared Donzelli Fotografo dell'anno (“Donzelli Photographer of the Year”).

A year later, Donzelli organized the exhibition Origini del Fotoreportage negli USA with works from his collection for the Galeria Cadorna in Milan . The most extensive exhibition of his works was presented by the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg and the Kunsthalle Schirn in Frankfurt am Main in 1997 as an impressive retrospective . The following year one of Donzelli's curators, Renate Siebenhaar, was awarded the Arles International Photography Prize. Donzelli has worked closely with her since 1994. Today Donzelli's photographic works are exhibited in the Museum Folkwang Essen, the George Eastman House in Rochester and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Pietro Donzelli lived and worked in his native Milan until his death in 1998.

Exhibitions organized and / or coordinated by Donzelli

  • Group des XV (1947–1950)
  • D. Masclet (1947-1950)
  • W. Laubli (1947–1950)
  • La Bussola (1947–1950)
  • H. Grindat (1947–1950)
  • Fotoform (1947–1950)
  • M. Hoepffner (1947–1950)
  • A. Lazi (1947-1950)
  • Village Camera Club - New York (1947-1950)
  • Chargesheimer (1947–1950)
  • H. Heinrich (1947–1950)
  • Kitano CC (1947-1950)
  • various exhibitions of the Circolo Fotografico Milanese in Tokyo, Kobe (Japan), New York (1947–1950)
  • Mostra Storica di Fotografia commissioned by the Ente Fiera Campionaria in Milan (1954)
  • Unione Fotografica at Salon International, Paris (1955)
  • Fotografi della nuova generazione with the Unione Fotografica and the Photo Club Pescara (1960)
  • Origini del photo report negli USA, Galeria Cadorna, Milan (1996)

Exhibitions of his works

  • Pietro Donzelli - Luce , Opelvillen , Rüsselsheim, 2015. Accompanying volume.

Artist associations

  • Member of the Circolo Fotografico Milanese (1946)
  • founds Unione Fotografica with Alberto Buranelli, Clari, Enzio Croci, Piero Di Blasi, Edoardo Gioia, Orsi, Ornano and Luigi Veronesi (1947–1950)

Works

  • founds the magazine Fotografia with Ezio Croci and Piero Di Blasi (1947)
  • publishes Fotografi Italiani with Luigi Veronesi (1954)
  • Collaboration on the publication Ferrania, Photorama, Europa Camera, Fotopratica, L'Europeo (1957–1963)
  • Italian edition of the publication Popular Photography (1957–1963)
  • Critica e Storia della Fotografia with Piero Racanicchi (1957–1963)

Awards

  • Maestro Fotografo or Maestro della Fotografia italiana; by the Federazione Italiana Associazioni Fotografiche (FIAF) (1968)
  • Una vita per la fotografia; from Società 3M (1968)
  • among the top 20 Italian photographers; according to Bolaffi Arte (1976)
  • Photographer of the year; FIFG (1995)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Looking back in Wehmut in FAZ from April 16, 2015, page R6
personal data
SURNAME Donzelli, Pietro
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian photographer
DATE OF BIRTH April 15, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Monte Carlo
DATE OF DEATH May 27, 1998
Place of death Milan