Lorenzo Bonomo, influential Italian collector, dies at 96 in Bari

Lorenzo Bonomo, a prominent Italian art collector and husband of gallerist Marilena Bonomo, has died at his home in Bari at age 96. Born in Bari in 1924, he was a key figure in the contemporary art scene for over four decades through his wife's gallery, Galleria Bonomo, founded in 1971. The gallery showcased conceptual and minimalist art, featuring international artists like Alighiero Boetti, Sol LeWitt, Richard Nonas, Richard Tuttle, and David Tremlett, as well as Italian talents including Nunzio, Franco Dellerba, and Tullio De Gennaro. Bonomo's home served as a meeting place for artists, with works integrated into daily life. He also supported exhibitions in Spoleto, where LeWitt created his first wall drawings. Bonomo began collecting as a university student, purchasing Morandi etchings, and later acquired a Kurt Schwitters work from 1920 in Germany. After returning to Italy, he followed the work of Lucio Fontana and avant-garde movements, frequenting galleries like Marlborough in Rome, Lucio Amelio in Naples, Konrad Fischer in Düsseldorf, and Franco Toselli in Milan. He balanced his art passion with a career in medicine. His daughters Valentina and Alessandra run galleries in Bari and Rome respectively. Bonomo noted that Bari did not respond to the gallery, with recognition coming from elsewhere in Italy and abroad. A book titled '…But, where is Bari?' published by Allemandi a decade ago chronicles the gallery's 40-year history.