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Photographs: ITALIAN ICONS

Monday 18 May 2026, 04:00 PM • Milan

1018

Virgilio Carnisio

(1938)

Romagnano Sesia (NO), 1966

Estimate

€ 300 - 400

Sold

€ 305

The price includes buyer's premium

Information

Vintage gelatin silver print
cm 27,3 x 34,8 | 10.7 x 13.7 in.
Edition 4 of 12
Signed, titled and numbered in black ink with photographer's credit stamp on the verso
Virgilio Carnisio (Milan 1938) began photographing in the early 1960s and, fearing that a false interpretation of modernity could destroy the classic architecture of his city, he wandered between the centre and the suburbs, documenting in black and white courtyards, railing houses, taverns, neighbourhoods such as Isola and Garibaldi, old shops and artisan workshops with the anthropological and social approach dear to classic reportage. He creates, particularly accurate exhibitions and books, an articulate survey of Milan to which he combines investigations into Valsesia and the realities of Europe, Asia and America, the destinations of his travels.

The most interesting aspects of this kind of work lie not in the technique but in the creative vision that drives it. Virgilio Carnisio uses a standard Pentax SLR (though he used other cameras in his early days), lenses that are neither extreme wide-angles nor exaggerated telephoto lenses, and black-and-white film: equipment that serves to produce well-balanced photographs where light and shadow are always in harmony. That said, what matters is his eye, which captures subjects—perhaps ones many would not even have considered—with consistently precise framing. Thus, the vast collection of façades of restaurants, bars, wine bars and food shops now stands as a testament to Milanese history, as well as an anthropological record of how we once were. When, however, faced with a locomotive, Carnisio shifts his gaze slightly diagonally to emphasise its movement and chooses the moment when the smoke creates the perfect finishing touch to an impeccable image.
 

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