Genovese gallerist Francesco Masnata, founder of La Bertesca, dies at 77

Francesco Masnata, the influential Genovese gallerist who founded La Bertesca in 1966, died on August 31, 2018, at age 77 after a brief illness. Born in Genoa on July 22, 1941, he co-founded the gallery with Nicola Trentalance at age 25. La Bertesca debuted with a show of American Pop artists (D'Arcangelo, Dine, Lichtenstein, Rosenquist, Warhol, Wesley, Wesselmann) in late 1966. Masnata is best known for organizing the first-ever Arte Povera exhibition in 1967, curated by Germano Celant, held from September 27 to October 20 at La Bertesca. The show featured artists Boetti, Fabro, Kounellis, Paolini, Pascali, Prini (Arte Povera) and Bignardi, Ceroli, Icaro, Mambor, Mattiacci, Tacchi (Im Spazio). Over the years, La Bertesca moved to several Genoa locations: Salita Santa Caterina (1972), Via Gavotti (1975), Salita della Tosse (1980), and back to Salita Santa Caterina (1983). Masnata also opened spaces in Milan (Modulo Arte Contemporanea, 1970), Düsseldorf (1974-1977), and Rome (Via del Babuino, 1977). He produced the self-managed magazine Pallone and founded Edizioni Masnata, limited-edition publications now sought by collectors. In the 1990s, through Kaiman Art, he pursued international collaborations, and in the 2000s, he engaged with emerging artists in Russia and China. Under the pseudonym Bibesco, he created artworks using painting, collage, maps, and writing.