Paolo di Paolo

Paolo Di Paolo (1925–2023) was an extraordinary chronicler of postwar Italy and the pride of his country. Marking the 100th anniversary of his birth, this volume reintroduces his work to global audiences. Previously largely nameless, he was the best-loved photographer of Mario Pannunzio's Il Mondo, in which he published 573 pictures over the course of 14 years, one of the most regular contributors to the weekly Tempo and occasional travel partner of Pier Paolo Pasolini. He portrayed stars of the cinema, writers, artists, members of the nobility, intellectuals and ordinary folk. Now, a century after the artist's birth, Silvia Di Paolo has gone back through her father's archives and, together with Giovanna Calvenzi, curated a new vision of his work with over 300 images that give an account of a surprising and largely unknown career.

Anna Magnani, Grace Kelly, Ezra Pound, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Giorgio de Chirico: these are some of the cultural icons captured by Italian photographer Paolo di Paolo (born 1925), who portrayed Italian society and the worlds of the movies and art in the 1950s and ’60s. This vast exploration of his work is divided into thematic sections introduced by prominent figures such as Alessandro Michele. Di Paolo's subjects were always framed by his intellectually cultivated eye, which made him one of the principal photographers for the magazine Il Mondo, as well as a contributor to virtually every one of the prominent magazines of his time. Paolo di Paolo: Lost World is not only an introduction to a skilled photographer but also a flamboyant celebration of La Dolce Vita with di Paolo at the center.