Roman collector Bianca Attolico dies at 88

Bianca Attolico, a leading figure in Roman collecting, died on January 21, 2020, at age 88. Born Bianca Lucherini, she inherited her passion from her father Tommaso Lucherini, a physician who collected works of the Scuola Romana. In the 1960s she expanded the collection to include avant-garde artists such as Jannis Kounellis, Pino Pascali, Mario Schifano, Lucio Fontana, and Piero Manzoni. In later decades she added younger artists like Vik Muniz, Sislej Xhafa, Cristiano Pintaldi, Nicholas Hlobo, Bruno Ceccobelli, Stefano Arienti, Nunzio, and Enzo Cucchi. Her home on Via dei Monti Parioli became a salon for the Roman art community, mixing powerful figures with artists. In 2011 she published a book on her collection, "Una memoria contemporanea. Dalla collezione di Bianca Attolico," edited by Ester Coen and Francesca Romana Morelli, presented at MACRO with Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and Lia Rumma. She was known for her philanthropic approach and fierce negotiation at art fairs. Her funeral was held at 11:30 on January 21, 2020, in the church of Sant'Eugenio, Viale delle Belle Arti 10, Rome.