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Italian art historian and critic Maurizio Calvesi dies at 92

artist · 2026-04-27

Maurizio Calvesi, a distinguished Italian art historian and critic, passed away in Rome at the age of 92. His passing was reported by fellow critic Alberto Dambruoso, who acknowledged Calvesi as his mentor. Born in 1927 in Rome, Calvesi became a member of the Futurist group 'Aeropoeti Sant'Elia' at just 14 years old and completed his studies at La Sapienza University in 1949. He taught in both Carrara and Rome, held professorships at the University of Palermo and La Sapienza, and was named Professor Emeritus in 2003. Calvesi led the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art and curated two editions of the Venice Biennale. His influential writings on various artists and expertise on Alberto Burri mark the conclusion of a significant chapter in Italian art criticism.

Key facts

  • Maurizio Calvesi died in Rome at age 92.
  • He was a leading Italian art historian and critic.
  • Born in Rome in 1927, he joined the Futurist group 'Aeropoeti Sant'Elia' in 1941.
  • He graduated from La Sapienza University in 1949 with a thesis on Simone Peterzano.
  • He curated the Venice Biennale in 1984 and 1986.
  • He founded the magazine 'Art e Dossier' in 1984.
  • He wrote seminal works on Futurism, Caravaggio, Burri, and de Chirico.
  • He presided over the Fondazione Burri in Città di Castello.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Università La Sapienza
  • Biennale di Venezia
  • Galleria nazionale d'arte moderna e contemporanea
  • Calcografia Nazionale
  • Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
  • Accademia di San Luca
  • Istituto di Studi Romani
  • Accademia Clementina di Bologna
  • Fondazione Burri (Fondazione Albizzini-Collezione Burri)
  • Fondazione Marino Marini
  • Fondazione de Chirico
  • Maretti Editore
  • Palazzo delle Esposizioni
  • Museo Guggenheim di New York
  • Università di Yale
  • Centro di Documentazione Futurista
  • Soprintendenza di Bologna
  • Pinacoteca nazionale di Ferrara
  • Accademia di Carrara
  • Accademia di Roma
  • University of Palermo
  • Artribune
  • Art e Dossier
  • Storia dell'Arte
  • La Sapienza University of Rome
  • Ministry of Education (Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione)
  • Galleria L'Attico
  • Galleria La Tartaruga
  • Accademia Albertina di Torino
  • University of Salerno
  • Mimar Sinan University
  • Soprintendenza
  • University of Bologna
  • La Sapienza University
  • Corriere della Sera
  • L'Espresso
  • Venice Biennale
  • Feltrinelli
  • Storia dell'arte (journal)
  • Art & Dossier
  • Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (GNAM)
  • Galleria Rondanini
  • Palazzo del Drago

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy
  • Città di Castello
  • Pistoia
  • Bologna
  • Ferrara
  • Palermo
  • Carrara
  • New York
  • United States
  • Yale
  • via Oslavia
  • piazza Adriana
  • Palazzo delle Esposizioni
  • via Nazionale
  • Melfi
  • Turin
  • Salerno
  • Valle Giulia
  • Milan
  • Venice
  • Manhattan
  • via dei Pettinari 84
  • piazza di Spagna
  • via Giulia
  • via della Mercede

Sources