201 - Franco DE MARTINO (20th century)

Franco DE MARTINO (20th century) View of the “Scultura africana” exhibition, Villa Medici, 1986: the Bamileke figure and a visitor In the dim light of the room, the large Bamiléké figure—a pipe-smoker wearing a hat with bumps—is illuminated by a beam of light, alongside the profile of a young visitor. View of the exhibition “Scultura africana. Omaggio a André Malraux,” Rome, Villa Medici, 1986, curated by Jacques Kerchache and presented at the French Academy in Rome, then directed by Jean-Marie Drot. Large-format silver print 30.2 x 23.5 cm Inscription on the reverse: Photographer’s stamp “FOTOGRAFIA DI FRANCO de MARTINO / VIA DARDANELLI 13 / ROMA - TEL. 35.65.549”; pencil annotation: “Photo from the 1986 exhibition at the Villa Medici / Bamiléké No. 1” Provenance: former collection of Jean-Marie Drot Franco de Martino is a Roman photographer, based on Via Dardanelli in Rome according to his stamp. He took photographs of the exhibition “Scultura africana. Omaggio a André Malraux,” held at the Villa Medici in 1986: rendered in chiaroscuro, his images show sculptures from the Kerchache collection illuminated by beams of light, with visitors strolling among the pedestals.