THE WORLD IN THE EYES OF WALTER BONATTi
In 2011 a legendary man born in Bergamo, Italy, in 1920 made us the heirs of his images, besides the memoirs of his enthusiastic life. His sole passion, the mountains, had led him to perform hundreds of alpine feats that have gone down in history, after which he dedicated himself to exploration and adventure as the reporter of the weekly magazine “Epoca” up to 1979. From the 1960s onwards he published numerous books that underpin his talent for narration, love for extreme challenges, and interest in photography. Many of his striking images are fantastic “self-portrait settings” and the landscapes he dealt with were altogether places of contemplation and discovery, and his personality and feats are engraved in the mind of a most varied public, in terms of age and interest. An extreme and often solitary alpine climber, he conquered the admiration of men and the hearts of women, and likewise fascinated the youth. The exhibition is part of the Milan – Heart of Europe event, the multidisciplinary cultural programme dedicated to the figures and movements which, through their own history and artistic production, have contributed to building the cultural dimension of the European identity. The images exhibited testify to over 30 years of travels on the discovery of the less known and most impervious places of the Earth, and tell of an overwhelming passion for adventure, and the extraordinary professionalism of a great reporter. The exhibition is hosted in Palazzo della Ragione, a new exhibition center entirely dedicated to photography in Piazza dei Mercanti, a stone’s throw from Piazza Duomo.
From 13 November 2014 to 8 March 2015, Palazzo della Ragione Fotografia of Milan is presenting the very first exhibition dedicated to Walter Bonatti, one of the greatest Italian photographers.It is promoted and produced by the Milan Municipality – Cultura, Palazzo della Ragione, Civita, Contrasto and GAmm Giunti, and curated by Alessandra Mauro and Angelo Ponta in partnership with the Bonatti Archives.
“I tried to put myself in the shoes of the first man on earth, a man who observed, with fascination and care, the world around him to draw from it a lesson for life.”
Walter Bonatti
