Nanda Lanfranco Archival collection
The Nanda Lanfranco Archival collection at the CRRI bears witness to the long-standing relationship between photographer Nanda Lanfranco (Genoa, 1935 – Pieve Ligure, Genoa, 2023) and Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea. Lanfranco documented the institution beginnings as early as 1984, working as a correspondent for Il Giornale dell’Arte, and continued to follow it closely from 1991 to 2008, during Ida Gianelli’s directorship.
The archive consists of 226 items, including slides, color photographs, negatives, contact sheets, prints and digital files, mainly in black and white. Spanning the years between 1979 and 2008, it reflects Lanfranco’s personal vision of Museum’s life and activities, articulated through three main lines of research: portraits of artists taken on the occasion of exhibitions; photographs of performances held at the Museum; and documentation of the installation of works and related openings.
A discerning author, Nanda Lanfranco began photographing as a self-taught practitioner in the 1970s, starting with her direct involvement in the contemporary art scene and cultural life of the city of Genoa. From 1975 onwards, she documented the performances of artists such as Laurie Anderson, Charles Simonds and Marina Abramović & Ulay; from 1977 to 1982, she served as the official photographer of the Samangallery in Genoa, directed by Ida Gianelli. Also in Genoa, from 1980, she was the main photographer for the exhibitions at the Locus Solus gallery owned by Vittorio Dapelo and Uberta Sannazzaro.
From the late 1970s, Lanfranco’s photographs have been featured in leading national and international magazines, including Domus, Artforum and Artpress. In 1983, she began a long-term collaboration with Il Giornale dell’Arte, published by Umberto Allemandi in Turin, for which she documented important international contemporary art exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale and documenta in Kassel.