Anna Paparatti: Painting as Meditation and a Life in Art

Anna Paparatti (born 1936, Reggio Calabria) recounts her life and career in an interview with Angelica Raho, conducted for Raho's thesis at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. Paparatti was a protagonist of Rome's avant-garde in the 1960s and 1970s, closely associated with Fabio Sargentini, Pino Pascali, and the gallery L'Attico. She discovered painting at 15, which she says saved her life. After studying at the Istituto d'Arte, she attended the Accademia di Belle Arti under Toti Scialoja, who introduced her to modern art. In 1966 she met Fabio Sargentini; their daughter Fabiana was born in 1969. Paparatti collaborated with L'Attico, hosting artists like Terry Riley, Philip Glass, and Steve Paxton. She continued drawing and painting, with exhibitions at Pio Monti (1990), Liliana Maniero (1991), and Annina Nosei in New York (1994). Her series 'Giochi' originated from mandalas inspired by Carl Jung's 'Psychology and Alchemy'. In 2021, Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri commissioned Paparatti to design the set for the Spring-Summer 2022 fashion show in Paris, featuring her 'Giochi' on a black background. Paparatti is a devotee of Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama. A documentary 'La Pitturessa' by Fabiana Sargentini premiered on October 24, 2023, at Sala Cinecittà in Rome.