Italian critic Claudio Cerritelli dies at 71

Claudio Cerritelli, born in Roccaraso in 1953, passed away on August 1 after a long illness at age 71. A prominent art critic, he studied at the University of Bologna and focused on analytical painting, following its developments into the problematic period of aniconism. Cerritelli founded and edited the magazine Meta, known for his rigorous critical coherence and philological precision to dispel the mystifying veil of simulation. He was a daring commentator on non-figurative Italian painting, bridging generations by questioning the validity of the avant-garde concept amid postmodern shifts. Cerritelli taught at the Accademia di Brera in Milan, where he intellectually stimulated new generations of artists. He maintained a sarcastic yet sensitive demeanor, avoiding naive gregarism or obtuse commentary. His studio, a labyrinth of books and artworks below street level, was a space for writing and reflection. The remembrance is penned by Marcello Carriero, an art critic and historian born in 1965, who has written for Arte e Critica, Arte, Exibart, and authored the only complete monograph on futurist Volt (Ed. Settecittà, Viterbo 2007). Carriero recalls meeting Cerritelli in Milan during an exhibition of Marco Ferri at Nuova Galleria Morone, and credits painter Marco Grimaldi for introducing him to Cerritelli's prose.