Farewell to Paolo Manazza, painter and journalist, founder of ArtsLife

Painter and journalist Paolo Manazza, a prominent figure on the Italian cultural scene, has died in Milan at the age of 65 after an illness: an abstract artist and journalist specializing in the economics of art, Manazza was the founder of ArtsLife, one of Italy’s most popular online art magazines, and was also a leading contributor to the cultural page of Corriere della Sera.

Born in Milan in 1959, Paolo Manazza graduated in Theoretical Philosophy from the State University of Milan. Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with some of the country’s most prestigious newspapers, including L’Espresso, La Stampa, Repubblica and Capital before joining Corriere della Sera and later founding and directing ArtsLife, opened in 2004 as a working tool for the chair of Theory and Practice of Multimedia in art at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, where Manazza taught for a few years, and then registered in 2008 as a newspaper at the Court of Milan. Manazza was also editor of ArtsLife for many years, before handing over the helm of the masthead to Luca Zuccala, who went on to direct Il Giornale dell’Arte from January 2025. In addition, in 2016, Manazza had founded the WopArt art fair in Lugano, entirely dedicated to art on paper.

Manazza’s educational commitment has also been significant. He taught at the Brera Academy in Milan, where he taught courses on innovative topics such as “Theory and Practice of the Multimedia Art Market” and “Art Publishing,” contributing to the preparation of a new generation of artists and art professionals. In 2005, his contribution to culture was recognized with the honor of “Ufficiale al Merito della Repubblica Italiana,” awarded to him by then-President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

The year 2008 marked a crucial moment in his career: after years of painting in silence, Manazza exhibited his works to the public for the first time with the solo exhibition ViceVersa: the paintings of a critic presented by artists, held at the Maimeri Foundation in Milan. The event stood out for its ironic and provocative approach, involving contemporary artists as critics of his own works, and posing itself as a manifesto of support for young talent: in fact, all proceeds from sales were donated to the purchase of art materials, which were then distributed free of charge to young creatives. Manazza had also been one of the first artists to take an interest in NFTs: in particular, he had caused discussion in 2024 about the transformation of one of his paintings into NFTs visible in three dimensions.

As a painter, Paolo Manazza drew inspiration from American informal abstractionism, particularly the work of Willem de Kooning. Italian, French and U.S. influences are woven into his works in a visual language that crosses the boundaries between figuration and abstraction. “There is no such thing as figuration. There is no such thing as abstract. There is only painting,” said Manazza, in line with the philosophy of the American school of the 1950s. His canvases express a search for the pure essence of color and form, evoking emotions and meanings that go beyond the visible. His works have found space in solo and group exhibitions in Italy and abroad, touching destinations such as France, the United States, South Korea, China, Egypt and Moldova.

With Paolo Manazza, Italian online art journalism loses one of its pioneers.

Farewell to Paolo Manazza, painter and journalist, founder of ArtsLife

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