Mario Diacono, poet and gallerist, dies at 95

Mario Diacono, a poet, visual poet, art critic, and gallerist, died at 95. Born in Rome in 1930, he studied literature under Giuseppe Ungaretti, writing a thesis on Futurism focused on the journals La Voce and Lacerba. In the early 1960s he frequented Galleria La Tartaruga, befriending artists like Cy Twombly, Piero Dorazio, and Jannis Kounellis. After teaching Italian literature at UC Berkeley (1966–1976), he returned to Italy and opened a gallery in Bologna in 1977 with Ferruccio Fata, then independently in 1978 with support from Achille Maramotti, laying groundwork for what became Collezione Maramotti. He later moved the gallery to Rome (active until 1984) and then to Boston, where Mario Diacono Gallery continues. He was among the first to exhibit Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Salle, and others. In 2021, MACRO in Rome dedicated a solo exhibition to his multidisciplinary vision. His death was announced by artist Luisa Rabbia.