The greats of cinema photographed by Elio Luxardo: an exhibition at the Casa del Cinema in Rome

Casa del Cinema: 3M Foundation celebrates the great faces of Italian cinema in the photo exhibition Luxardo and cinema.

Luxardo and Cinema, a collection of 32 shots by Elio Luxardo (Sorocaba, 1908 - Milan, 1969), an artist known for being the photographer of the divas and stars of Cinecittà.

Created on the occasion of the Rome Film Festival, the exhibition features a collection of images of the most famous protagonists of 20th-century Italian cinema, including Alberto Sordi, Sofia Loren, Vittorio De Sica and Gina Lollobrigida. All the works, which will remain on display until Dec. 1, belong to the archives of Fondazione 3M, a permanent cultural institution of research and education and owner of a historic photographic archive of about 110,000 images.

Through this exhibition, created in collaboration with Daniele Luxardo, grandson of the famous photographer, and curated by photo critic Roberto Mutti, Fondazione 3M pays tribute to the great faces of Italian cinema. As a great movie buff, Elio Luxardo had learned on the set how to use lighting in an innovative way to enhance faces. Indeed, in his shots, the photographer succeeds in bringing out the characteristics of each of his subjects, emphasizing the irony of one look and the seductive power of another, the more classic postures and the unusual ones. Luxardo’s works also convey a sense of plasticity, thanks to the choice of side shots, which see bodies and faces occupying space diagonally.

Elio Luxardo, born to parents of Italian descent in Brazil, initially established himself as a documentary filmmaker, learning the craft of photography from his father, a professional photographer. After moving to Rome, he enrolled at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia with the dream of becoming a director. However, he left school almost immediately to join the studio of photographer Sem Bosch and took over his business, quickly establishing himself as a portrait photographer. It was precisely in this capacity that the photographer was especially appreciated by the stars of Cinecittà for his ability to search for beauty in faces and bodies, and to create shots that were never repetitive.

The Luxardo and Cinema exhibition opens to the public from Oct. 17 to Dec. 1.

For all information you can visit the official website of the Casa del Cinema.

Pictured: Elio Luxardo, Marisa Merlini

The greats of cinema photographed by Elio Luxardo: an exhibition at the Casa del Cinema in Rome

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