Ennio Calabria, painter of the working class, dies at 86
Ennio Calabria, the renowned Italian artist celebrated for his labor-themed, Marxist-inspired artwork, passed away in Rome at the age of nearly 87. He was born on March 7, 1937, in Tripoli and launched his artistic journey with a solo exhibition at Galleria La Feluca in 1958. In 1961, he co-founded "Il pro e il contro" and showcased his work at the Rome Quadriennale in 1959, 1972, 1986, and 1999, as well as the Venice Biennale in 1964. In 1985, he displayed his art at Gucci's Gallery in New York. Between 2002 and 2005, he painted portraits of Pope John Paul II. His accolades include the Premio Vittorio De Sica (2006) and Premio Goffredo Petrassi (2011). His artwork is housed in collections globally, and he donated a painting to CGIL following a 2022 attack.
Key facts
- Ennio Calabria died in Rome at nearly 87 years old, just before his birthday on March 7.
- He was born in Tripoli and lived and worked in Rome.
- He co-founded the group 'Il pro e il contro' in 1961.
- He participated in the Rome Quadriennale in 1959, 1972, 1986, and 1999.
- He was invited to the Venice Biennale in 1964.
- He exhibited at Gucci's Gallery in New York in 1985.
- He created a series of portraits of Pope John Paul II between 2002 and 2005.
- He won the Premio Vittorio De Sica in 2006 and the Premio Goffredo Petrassi in 2011.
- His works are in collections including the Metropolitan Theatre, Pushkin Museum, Wroclaw Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Sofia, Gucci Collection, and Vatican Collections.
- In 1975, he painted two canvases for the Camera del Lavoro in Genoa.
- After a 2022 attack on CGIL headquarters destroyed one of his works, he donated a new painting to the union.
Entities
Artists
- Ennio Calabria
- Attardi
- Farulli
- Gianquinto
- Guccione
- Vespignani
- Del Guercio
- Micacchi
- Morosini
- M. Tonelli
- I. Mitrano
- A. Gianquinto
- Caterina Angelucci
Institutions
- Galleria La Feluca
- Quadriennale d'Arte di Roma
- Biennale Internazionale d'Arte di Venezia
- Gucci's Gallery
- Reggia di Caserta
- Metropolitan Theatre
- Pushkin Museum
- Museo Wroclaw
- Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Sofia
- Collezione Gucci
- Collezioni Vaticane
- Camera del Lavoro di Genova
- CGIL
- Sindacato Nazionale Artisti
- Artribune
Locations
- Tripoli
- Rome
- Italy
- New York
- United States
- Caserta
- Moscow
- Russia
- Wroclaw
- Krakow
- Poland
- Sofia
- Bulgaria
- Genoa
- San Francisco
- London
- Berlin
- Urbino
- Milan