Antonio Calderara's Correspondence Published in New Book

A new volume, 'Epistolario di Antonio Calderara dal 1962 al 1978' (Abscondita, Milan, 2024), collects the letters of Italian painter Antonio Calderara (1903–1978). Edited by Paola Bacuzzi and Eraldo Misserini, the correspondence sheds light on Calderara's relationships with critics and artists, including Giulio Carlo Argan, Dadamaino, and others. The letters reveal Calderara's struggle for acceptance, such as his failed admission to the 24th Venice Biennale due to Morlotti's veto, despite support from Argan and Giuseppe Capogrossi. They also document his involvement with Gruppo Punto (1961), founded under Lucio Fontana, and his affinities with Guy De Lussigny. The book highlights Calderara's unique path toward abstraction, influenced by Piero della Francesca and Mondrian, and his emphasis on light and moral exactitude over scientific precision. The correspondence underscores his coherent artistic vision and his place within a network of artists who shared a lateral stance toward contemporary art's 'great confusion.'