Annamaria Cesarini Sforza, artist and matriarch of the Cascella dynasty, dies at 96

Annamaria Cesarini Sforza, an Italian artist and key figure in the Cascella family of artists, died on March 2, 2017, at age 96. Born into nobility, she studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma in the 1940s and frequented the studios of Campigli, Afro, Capogrossi, Carrà, Consagra, and de Chirico. In 1945 she married sculptor Pietro Cascella, with whom she created large mosaic works she called 'geologia domestica.' Her drawings featured fantastic worlds with spirits, goblins, demons, heroes, and alchemical symbols. She was also known for her activism to save Rome's Cinema America, which was occupied by independent collectives and at risk of demolition. She personally asked Minister of Cultural Heritage Dario Franceschini to protect the building due to mosaics by her and her husband, and the building was subsequently protected. Her grandson Matteo Basilè, an artist, paid tribute on Facebook, recalling her vitality and recent projects.