THE BIG PICTURE - La Dolce vita on camera - United Artists of Italy at the Estorick Collection - until Sept 4th

AN exhibition of portraits of some of the 20th century’s best-known Italian artists by 22 leading Italian photographers is currently being staged at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art in Canonbury. 

United Artists of Italy, comprising around 90 photographs of artists including de Chirico, Fontana and Morandi by such photographers as Mario Giacomelli, Mimmo Jodice and Gianni Berengo Gardin, tells the story of the Italian contemporary art scene from the 1960s. 

This rich group of photographs has been assembled over many years by Massimo Minini, who has run his own contemporary gallery in Brescia since 1973. While his initial plan was to select only portraits of artists, in time the project broadened and began to embrace writers such as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italo Calvino and Alberto Moravia, as well as a number of foreign artists. 
 

These brilliant photographs are by no means conventional “studio portraits”. The most striking capture the spirit of the times but this is more than just a simple collection of chronological images. 

Many of the photographs portray artists whose works can be found in the Estorick’s permanent collection. These include Massimo Campigli, a close friend of Eric and Salome Estorick. Campligi is shown surrounded by his own works, similar to those on display in the permanent collection, and the photographic portrait reveals the accuracy of Campigli’s painted self-portrait, also found in the permanent collection. Marino Marini is represented in the exhibition alongside a white horse and in the permanent collection by his bronze relief of four horses, Quadriga. 
 

United Artists of Italy shows a cross-section of Italian photography spanning more than 30 years, revealing the extraordinary skills of the photographers while at the same time paying homage to the great artists who are the subjects. 
 

• United Artists of Italy is at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, 39a Canonbury Square, N1 2AN, until September 4. 

Open Wednesday to Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday noon-5pm, late-night Thursdays until 8pm. Admission £5, concessions £3.50, includes permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. Free to under-16s and students with a valid NUS card.  020 7704 9522,  www.estorickcollection.com