Franco Vaccari's Rediscovered Film and Video Works
Claudia Zanfi recounts the rediscovery of Franco Vaccari's film and video production, which had been largely forgotten after his success at the 1970 Venice Biennale. In 1999, while curating a show at Galleria Civica di Modena, Zanfi unearthed his complete film and video archive, much of which was on obsolete formats like Super8 and 16mm. With help from Kodak in Frankfurt and RAI in Turin, the works were restored. The resulting exhibition, "Franco Vaccari Film&Video," featured pieces from 1960 to 2000, including "Cani Lenti" with a Pink Floyd soundtrack. The show traveled internationally, notably to the Locarno Film Festival in 2003 and Miart 2006 in Milan's Piazza Duomo. A monograph titled "Fuori Schema" was published by Artshow/aMAZElab edizioni. In 2006, a Milan exhibition at Galleria Belvedere focused on Vaccari's "Photomatic d'Italia" series (1972-1974), accompanied by a publication from Electa Editore. Vaccari, who died in 2025, is recognized as a pioneer of Italian video art.
Key facts
- Franco Vaccari (1936-2025) was a pioneering Italian video artist.
- His film and video works were rediscovered in 1999 by Claudia Zanfi.
- The works were on obsolete formats and restored with help from Kodak Frankfurt and RAI Turin.
- The exhibition 'Franco Vaccari Film&Video' included works from 1960 to 2000.
- 'Cani Lenti' features a Pink Floyd soundtrack.
- The show was presented at Locarno Film Festival in 2003.
- A 'CineBox' display by Medusa Group was used at Festival Filosofia Modena in 2005.
- In 2006, the exhibition reached Piazza Duomo in Milan during Miart.
- A monograph 'Fuori Schema' was published by Artshow/aMAZElab edizioni.
- In 2006, a show at Galleria Belvedere in Milan focused on 'Photomatic d'Italia' (1972-1974).
- A publication on the Photomatic series was released by Electa Editore.
- Vaccari participated in the Venice Biennale with 'Esposizione in tempo reale n.4'.
Entities
Artists
- Franco Vaccari
- Claudia Zanfi
Institutions
- Galleria Civica di Modena
- Kodak
- RAI
- Artshow/aMAZElab edizioni
- Electa Editore
- Galleria Belvedere
- Fondazione Morra-Greco
- Museo Madre
- Medusa Group
- Festival Filosofia Modena
- GOING PUBLIC
- Miart
- Locarno Film Festival
- Biennale di Venezia
- Pink Floyd
Locations
- Modena
- Italy
- Frankfurt
- Germany
- Turin
- Locarno
- Switzerland
- Milan
- Piazza Duomo
- Naples