Post Script to Between Memory and History
Exhibition of Photographs by Paolo Portoghesi
In my discussion of “capturing” Rome I celebrate the photographic documentation of San Giovanni in Oleo by the architecture historian and architect Paolo Portoghesi. I just have returned from a memorial exhibition of his photography in the Academia San Luca which is an Italian Academy of Artists headquartered here in Rome. Portoghesi passed away on May 30 at 92 and this is the first of what I am sure will be many projects celebrating his long career.
As I mentioned in the earlier post - Portoghesi captures the artistic and spatial quality of Roman Baroque architecture (principally the work of Borromini) in his beautiful black and white photographs - 72 of which are on display in the conference room of the President of the Academy. The cover image for the exhibition is a self-portrait taken in San Carlino in which one just sees Portoghesi’s silhouette against the dome.
The Academy produced a very nice catalogue - my only criticism is that it is not on the beautiful mat paper that the original books were printed on.
Wow, what an eye.