Italian photography publisher Andrea Albertini dies at 70

Andrea Albertini, the visionary Italian publisher behind Damiani editore, has died after a long illness. He was 70. Albertini transformed the family printing business, Grafiche Damiani in Bologna, into a leading publisher of photography books. Under his direction, Damiani produced iconic artist books including Toilet Paper with Maurizio Cattelan. He was the first Italian publisher to produce Bill Owens' complete monograph in 2008, titled simply BILL OWENS, featuring 150 images spanning five decades. The book launch took place at Strand Bookstore in New York and at James Cohan Gallery with a reading by novelist A.M. Homes. In 2008, during the Venice Architecture Biennale, Albertini organized a public dialogue between Bill Owens and Gabriele Basilico on the theme of the city. Most recently, he worked on the posthumous publication ALTAMONT 1969, a book of Owens' black-and-white photographs documenting the Rolling Stones' 1969 concert at Altamont Speedway, distributed by D.A.P. New York and Thames & Hudson London. Albertini's legacy continues within Damiani.