Art: Marisa Rastellini’s “gracious eye” at MIA Fair

The extraordinary shots of Marisa Rastellini, a refined photographer who worked for Grazia and Epoca magazines from the 'sixties until the end of the 'eighties, will be exhibited to the general public for the first time by Mondadori Portfolio, the Mondadori Group's photo agency.

During MIA Fair - Milan Image Art Fair, Italy's most important photography show, scheduled for 28 April through 1 May at SUPERSTUDIO MAXI in Milan, Mondadori Portfolio will celebrate its tenth anniversary with the presentation of an exhibition of the Roman photographer's work entitled "Uno sguardo gentile, fotografie di Marisa Rastellini": "A gracious eye: the photographs of Marisa Rastellini".

Following lengthy, meticulous research in the Mondadori archives, the photographer's works will finally be on public view in an exhibition ideally documenting the spirit of her times, perfectly represented in her portraits of actors and key figures in Italy's literary and cultural scene, as well as her numerous fashion shoots.

Curated by Maria Vittoria Baravelli in collaboration with Mondadori Portfolio, the exhibition reconstructs the world of Marisa Rastellini, portraying a shy, delicate artist whose lens immortalised great Italian intellectuals such as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Elsa Morante, Virna Lisi, and Monica Vitti, as well as Marcello Mastroianni, Federico Fellini, Valentino Garavani.

"In this exhibition and event," points out Mondadori PortfolioExecutive Manager Elisabetta De Simone, "we celebrate our first ten years, an important decade during which, through reclamation of prints, original negatives, colour photos and slides kept in the publisher's vast historic archives, we have brought back to light such famous names as Mario De Biasi, Giorgio Lotti, Angelo Cozzi, Sergio De Grande and many more photographers who have told the history of Italy in their photographs over the past 60 years".