The 90th anniversary of the Circolo Fotografico Milanese in an exhibition at the Credito Valtellinese Gallery

The year 2020 was a special one for the Circolo Fotografico Milanese, which can boast of having reached ninety years of activity. In fact, on April 3, 1930 by the will of a diverse group of passionate photographers (professionals such as Guido Pellegrini, president, Ferruccio Leiss of Laimburg, secretary, Secco d’Aragona, Emilio Sommariva and Bruno Stefani, intellectuals such as Giuseppe Cavalli, thearchitect Gio Ponti, chemistry experts such as Alfredo Ornano, and outstanding enthusiasts such as Federico Vender) a group was born that, after the war, would be among the eight founding circles of the Italian Federation of Photographic Associations.

To celebrate such an important anniversary, the Circolo Fotografico Milanese has decided to present the works of its members to the general public in an exhibition that illustrates their activity and passion: from October 19 to December 10, 2021, the photographic exhibition L’occhio del Milanese - i 90 anni del Circolo Fotografico Milanese will open at the Galleria Credito Valtellinese in Corso Magenta 59, Milan.

Curated by Roberto Mutti like the accompanying catalog of the same name, the exhibition chronicles the evolution, spirit and character of the city of Milan in its various aspects. The city has radically changed over the years, the urban environment has been transformed, lifestyles have changed, and the faces, clothes, and gestures of Milanese citizens have changed, while maintaining the character and spirit that distinguish “Milanese-ness.” CFM photographers have brought their personal style and vision to provide a varied and original picture of the city.

Among the thousands of photos that make up the Archives of the Circolo Fotografico Milanese, the exhibition The Eye of the Milanese collects 180 shots of member photographers from the last decades of the last century to the weeks of the tragic pandemic, moving on different planes. The exhibition intends to pay homage to an important past characterized by the presence of personalities who have left a significant mark in the history of Italian photography. On the other, it aims to talk about the present through the works of current members who have measured themselves against the most diverse aspects of reality with styles, methods of approach, and attitudes that are inevitably different but all traceable to the single intent of representing and interpreting it.

The exhibition is developed on three levels. The first consists of a video, projected in a specially prepared area, illustrating the works of the historical authors of the Circolo Fotografico Milanese. The second is characterized by a series of display cases containing photographs, documents, books, and cameras related to the history of the Circle. The third level consists of the seven monothematic areas into which the space has been divided where the photographs of current members are displayed: “Art,” “Events,” “Urban Observation,” “Street,” “Social,” “Research,” and “Sports.”

The division was made not so much to create distinctions between genres that are anachronistic today, but to make the viewer better understand the breadth of interests addressed and to involve him or her in a journey where he or she feels involved in looking for similarities, differences, and comparisons between the images made by CFM photographers and female photographers. “Here juxtapositions have been created,” explains curator Roberto Mutti, “that deliberately bring the works of the more established authors closer to those of others who are following in their footsteps, photographers who have been contributing to the circle for some time and others who have only recently joined. This is because The Eye of the Milanese is not meant to be the sum of many personal works or an opportunity for individual authors to emphasize their self-referentiality, but a research that is fully expressed in a collective proposal that is the result of discussion and comparison.”

The exhibition is included in the program of the 16th edition of Photofestival, the important annual event dedicated to auteur photography that from September 16 to October 31, 2021 will animate the entire Milan Metropolitan City and some of the Lombard provinces with a rich schedule of widespread photographic events.

Authors on display: Augello Cesare, Augello Luca, Berbenni Alessandro, Borsari Daniela, Candiani Giuseppe, Casanova Paola, Cassano Rosi, Ciceri Walter, Cirmi Carlo, Cocco Aldo, Crippa Fabrizio, Lorenzo De Francesco, Di Brindisi Marisa, Di Rienzo Marco, Galvagno Mauro, Garzonio Matteo, Gatti Biggì Elisabetta, Genta Pierangelo, Gerosa Barbara, Giberti Domenico, Graziani Giovanni, Irzio Giorio, Loconte Daniela, Manenti Claudio, Marchetti Vittorio, Mattioni Pietro, Natta Fabio, Noli Marco, Pappada’ Giovanni, Pavesi Elvira, Pennacchio Adriana, Pepe Angelo, Pizzuti Nicola, Raimo Deborah, Rocca Enzo, Rognoni Roberto, Scibona Alberto, Senesi Emilio, Tarelli Giuseppe, Tarroni Paola, Turitto Donato, Ugolini Maurizio, Villa Elisa, Zingale Cristiano.

The exhibition is organized and produced by Circolo Fotografico Milanese with the Credito Valtellinese Group Foundation, the patronage of the Municipality of Milan, Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy Region and the recognition of FIAF (Italian Federation of Photographic Associations).

For all information, you can visit the official website of Circolo Fotografico Milanese.

Pictured: Toni Nicolini, Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Milan, 1980

The 90th anniversary of the Circolo Fotografico Milanese in an exhibition at the Credito Valtellinese Gallery

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