Lucia Spadano, co-founder of Italian art magazine Segno, dies at 85

Lucia Spadano, who co-founded the influential Italian contemporary art magazine Segno in 1976 with her husband Umberto Sala, has died. She was 85. Spadano and Sala, who met in high school in Pescara and married in 1962, launched Segno in Abruzzo during a period of intense cultural ferment in Pescara. The magazine, whose title was inspired by Umberto Eco's 1973 semiology book, quickly gained national distribution. Early contributors included a young Andrea Pazienza. Over the years, Segno featured critics such as Achille Bonito Oliva, Filiberto Menna, Gillo Dorfles, and many others. The magazine has been online since 1995 and also established the Segno d'Oro prize. In 1992, the couple's son Roberto Sala became editorial director, taking full leadership in 2021 as his mother's health declined. Spadano is remembered for her passion, empathy, and mentorship of young critics. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 24, at 12:00 in Pescara's Cathedral of San Cetteo.