Mimmo Jodice: Napoli's Master Photographer Reflects on a Life of Art and Activism
In a conversation at his studio in Posillipo, 87-year-old Mimmo Jodice shares insights about his life, tracing his path from his childhood in Sanità to his acclaim as a photographer. Born in 1934, he faced the loss of his father at the age of ten, which led him to start working, attend night classes, and enroll in the Accademia di Belle Arti. In 1970, he pioneered Italy's first experimental photography course, which gained national recognition by 1975. His early photography addressed social themes, shaped by his involvement with the Communist Party. Significant works include Vedute di Napoli (1980) and Mediterraneo (1995). He was awarded the Antonio Feltrinelli Prize in 2003 and received an honorary degree in 2006. Recently, he has worked on Pompei. Parole in viaggio and explored the theme of 'Absence.'
Key facts
- Mimmo Jodice was born in 1934 in the Sanità district of Naples.
- He began working at age ten after his father died.
- In 1970, Franco Mancini appointed him to teach Italy's first experimental photography course at Accademia di Belle Arti.
- His first solo exhibition was in 1967 at Libreria La Mandragola in Naples.
- He and his wife Angela were members of the Communist Party.
- He received the Antonio Feltrinelli Prize in 2003, honorary degree in 2006, and Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2011.
- His 2011 exhibition at the Louvre was titled Les yeux du Louvre.
- The 2016 retrospective at Museo Madre attracted over 3,000 visitors.
Entities
Artists
- Mimmo Jodice
- Roberto De Simone
- Carlo Levi
- Raffaello
- Delacroix
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Delaroche
- David
- Franco Mancini
- Marie-Laure Bernadac
- Henri Loyrette
- Andrea Viliani
- Barbara Jodice
- Bill Brandt
- Germaine Krull
- Man Ray
- Ugo Mulas
- Giorgio de Chirico
- Alberto Savinio
- Álvaro Siza
- Mario Martone
- Simona Risi
- Matteo Monet
- Antonio Napolitano
- Cesare De Seta
- Domenico De Masi
- Van Deren Coke
- Giuseppe Bonini
- Giuseppe Galasso
- Germano Celant
- Nicola Spinosa
- Eugenio Battisti
- Fausto Zevi
- Stefano Boeri
- Richard Burdett
- Cornelia Lauf
- Filiberto Menna
- Giuseppe Alario
- Alessandra Mauro
- Isabella Pedicini
- Pier Giovani Castagnoli
- Livia Montagnoli
- Michele De Luca
- Roberto Bossaglia
- Annette Malochette
- George Hersey
- Francine Prose
- Ida Gianelli
- Marina Miraglia
- Lucio Amelio
- Andy Warhol
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Joseph Beuys
- Francesco Jodice
- Angela Jodice
- Jean-Christophe Bailly
- Fernando Pessoa
- Radino
- Sellerio
- Patellani
- Faeta
- Malabotti
- Cresci
- Sommer
- Alinari
- Jannis Kounellis
- Vito Acconci
- Hans Ulrich Obrist
- Angela Madesani
Institutions
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli
- Libreria La Mandragola
- Partito Comunista Italiano
- Accademia dei Lincei
- Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
- Ministero della Cultura Francese
- Louvre
- MEP – Maison Européenne de la Photographie
- Musée de la Mer
- Les Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie
- Musée Réattu
- Museo Madre
- Artribune
- Popular Photography
- Palazzo Ducale di Urbino
- Modern Art Agency
- Lucio Amelio
- Studio Morra
- Studio Trisorio
- Galleria di Lia Rumma
- Museum of Arts di San Francisco
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna di Roma
- Castello di Rivoli
- Museo di Fotografia a Mosca
- Università degli Studi Federico II di Napoli
- Fabbri
- Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Torino
- MADRE
- Gallerie d'Italia di Torino
- Museum of Modern Art di Wakayama
- Casa della Fotografia di Mosca
- MART di Rovereto
- Museo di Capodimonte
- Palazzo Reale di Napoli
- Museo di Castel Sant'Elmo
- Mazzotta
- Villa Pignatelli
- Galleria Rondanini
- Comitato per Manifestazioni Culturali di Sasso di Castalda
- Museum of Art Philadelphia
- Triennale di Milano
- Palazzo della Ragione di Padova
- Federico Motta
- Palazzo delle Esposizioni di Roma
- Palatino
- Amazon
- Dina Carola
- Lia Rumma
- Pasquale Trisorio
Locations
- Napoli
- Posillipo
- Sanità
- Italia
- Milano
- Pompei
- Monte Faito
- Campania
- Francia
- Parigi
- Cannes
- Arles
- Naples
- Italy
- Rione Sanità
- Urbino
- San Francisco
- Boston
- Paris
- Tokyo
- Moscow
- Rome
- São Paulo
- Philadelphia
- New York
- Rivoli
- Wakayama
- Japan
- Rovereto
- Torino
- Mediterranean
- Villa Pignatelli
- Basilicata
- Lauria
- Satriano di Lucania
- Sasso di Castalda
- Potenza
- United States
- Milan
- Padua
- Gibellina