Fondazione Fiera Milano Acquires Franco Bottino Archive of One Million Photographs

Fondazione Fiera Milano has officially acquired the Franco Bottino archive, containing approximately one million photographs, as the first step of the Prospettiva project. The initiative aims to safeguard the heritage of Italy's greatest photographers and make it publicly accessible through an online platform (archiviostorico.fondazionefiera.it) and a series of exhibitions. About 700,000 euros have already been invested, with collaboration from AFIP International and Triennale Milano. The Triennale hosted the exhibition "Prospettiva. Viaggio negli Archivi di Fondazione Fiera Milano," curated by OMA/Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, which closed concurrently with the acquisition. The archive documents the history of Italian society and economy over the last century, stemming from the preservation of Milan trade fair records dating back to 1920. Bottino's career began in the 1950s in a Turin photo lab, later moving to Milan where he became a successful advertising and editorial photographer, capturing iconic figures like Patty Pravo, Romina Power, Milva, and Laura Antonelli. The Prospettiva collection will be organized into sectors including fashion, design, food, manufacturing, architecture, and Milan and its territory. Further acquisitions of top-tier photographers will be announced in the coming months.