Massimo Vitali was born in Como, Italy, in 1944. He lives and works in Lucca, Italy. After a course in photography at the London College of Printing in the early sixties, he started a career in photojournalism collaborating with many magazines and agencies in Italy and in Europe. The meeting with Simon Guttmann, founder of the Report agency, was fundamental for his growth as a concerned photographer. At the beginning of the eighties a growing mistrust in the absolute capacity of photography in reproducing the subtleties of reality led him to develop a new activity as a cinematographer in the world of fiction and advertising. But his relationship with the still camera never ceased and over the past ten years he has developed a new approach to portraying the world: photography seen as an expression of contemporary art. In 1995 he started the beach series and his work is displayed in international museums and foundations.
Massimo Vitali's pictures are present in the following collections: Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid (E), The Guggenheim, New York (USA), Musac, Museo de Arte contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon (E), Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo,Guarene, Torino (I), Metropolitan Bank Trust Photo.Collection, Chicago USA, MMK Frankfurt am Main, Sammlung E-On, Duesseldorf (D), Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver (USA), Agnes b., Paris (F), Fondation Cartier, Paris (F), FRAC Alsace (F), Stedelijk Museum (NL), ABN Amro (NL), Centre Pompidou Musée National D'Art Moderne (F), Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz (A), UBS-SBV, Italia-Switzerland, Elton John, Atlanta (USA), Ella Fontanals Cisneros Collection (USA), Essl Sammlung, Austria (A) Massimo Vitali, generously supported by participating galleries also appears in all major art fairs, among others: Art Basel / BaselMiami, Femaco Mexico City, Armory-NY, Photo-London, Moskwa, Frieze Art Fair London, Art First Bologna, Art Cologne, Fiac-Paris, Paris Photo, Shanghai, Art Forum Berlin. Massimo Vitali took several months to produce his notebook, based on enlarged details. As we leaf through the pages, we feel close to the figures portrayed. The notebook's small format forces the public to interact with the images, becoming absorbed by the power of the enlarged shots combined with the strong effects typically produced by the photographer. Massimo Vitali's Moleskine creates an unusual viewpoint, stemming from the invention of a special device designed to alter the eye of the camera. The result is a work of photography aimed at displaying multiple stratifications. His sociological interest is rooted in the wish to provide long-lasting documentation, with an aura that renders space as a timeless dimension.
Massimo Vitali took part in Detour New York 2007
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Moleskinerie
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