Luigi Ghirri and Giovanni Chiaramonte: A Friendship in Photography

The Centro Culturale di Milano (CMC) presents 'Luigi Ghirri. Nostalgia del futuro. L’immagine necessaria', an exhibition of 90 original prints and vintage works curated by Giovanni Chiaramonte, who died in October 2023. The show, conceived by CMC director Camillo Fornasieri and organized with CSAC Università di Parma, explores the deep friendship between Ghirri (1943–1992) and Chiaramonte (1948–2023). It includes rarely shown works, such as large-format Polaroids (80x60cm) taken in Amsterdam. Chiaramonte wrote an extensive text tracing Ghirri's career, recounting their first encounter in September 1973 at Galleria Il Diaframma in Milan, directed by Lanfranco Colombo. There, Chiaramonte saw Ghirri's image from 'Paesaggi di cartone', which he described as revealing the destruction of the natural world and the rise of artificial simulation, echoing Pier Paolo Pasolini's concept of 'after history'. Their friendship led to collaborative photographic and editorial projects, notably 'Viaggio in Italia' in 1984. Carlo Arturo Quintavalle, founder of CSAC in 1968, played a key role in Ghirri's legacy, curating a 700-image retrospective at the Scuderia della Pilotta in Parma in 1979.