GIOVANNI GASTEL: MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST
OUR NOTES ABOUT THE ARTIST:
A man of culture, poet, and photographer, Gastel pulls from his major repertoire of references such as theater, classic literature, or poetry to create elegant and poetic images that transcend time. His work is focused on the importance of memory and his goal to elevate and transcend our humanity.
The photographer was born from one of the most aristocratic families in Italy — his mother was Ida Visconti di Modrone, sister of legendary film director Luchino Visconti. Giovanni grew up in a protected world made of beautiful gardens and castles. When he came of age, he faced the reality of the world in a rather brutal way. Italy was facing one of the darkest moments of the country during the “years of Lead” with the bombing, kidnapping. He stayed in Italy despite the risks and the targeting of wealthier families and focused on his art. Through his elegant and poetic images, like a master storyteller, he creates a world that no longer exists.
The Milan artist is most probably the most famous photographer in Italy and one of the most prestigious photographers in the world. In 1997 the Milan Triennale dedicated the first curation by Germano Celant, and in 2002, as part of the event La Kore Fashion Oscar, Giovanni Gastel received the Oscar for photography. He was honorary President of the Associazione Fotografi Italiani Professionisti and a permanent member of the Polaroid Museum of Chicago.
Gastel had over 30 exhibitions in Europe and the most recent one The people I like, curated by Uberto Frigerio, gathered a great crowd despite the pandemic. It included over 200 portraits, mainly shot in black and white, of famous faces such as Barack Obama.
INTERVIEWS:
Publications:
Gastel per Donna (Edimoda, Milan, 1991)
I gioielli della Fantasia (Edizioni Idea Books, Milan, 1991)
The Gastel catalogue ( Edizioni Idea Books, Milan, 1997) on the occasion of his a solo exhibition at the Triennale di Milano,
Giovanni Gastel. Masks and Ghosts ( Skira Editore, Milan, 2009) on the occasion of his a solo exhibition at Palazzo della Ragione in Milan, curated by Germano Celant
Piero Lissoni Recent Architecture (Hatje Canz 2010)
Cose Viste (Silvana Editore 2011) on the occasion of his a solo exhibition at the Galleria Giangaleazzo Visconti in Milan
Poltrona Frau, L'intelligenza delle mani (Rizzoli Editore 2012)
Look Beyond (Skira 2013)
La nobiltà del Fare (Electa 2013)
Essere Parma (Electa 2016)
Un Eterno Istante, his autobiography, (Mondadori 2015), Giovanni Gastel (Silvana Editoriale 2016) on the occasion of his a solo exhibition at Palazzo della Ragione in Milan, curated by Germano Celant
Giovanni Gastel published over 15 volumes of photography and poetry. Among them:
2007 :
Nava Milano, Catalogo Gastel in occasione della sua personale alla Triennale di Milano del 1997, curata da Germano Celant, Genesi
2009 :
Skira, Giovanni Gastel Maschere e Spettri, da Germano Celant
Silvana Editore, Cose Viste in occasione della sua personale alla Galleria Giangaleazzo Visconti di Milano settembre 2011
2015 :
Mondadori, Un Eterno Istante. Autobiografia.
2016 :
Silvana Editoriale, 40 anni di fotografia di Giovanni Gastel a cura di Germano Celant e con progetto grafico dello studio GraphX (Studio Lissoni)
2018 :
Silvana Editoriale, Io sono una pianta rampicante- nuova raccolta di poesie
2019 :
Giampaolo Prearo Editore , The Body, 35 stampe fotografiche realizzate con stampa digitale a otto colori su carta Hahnemuhle Bright Whìte da 310 grammi.
2020 :
Skira Editore pubblica il volume The People I Like, 200 “ritratti dell’anima” del maestro fotografo alle persone che più lo hanno colpito.
EXHIBITIONS
Giovanni Gastel has been featured in over 50 exhibitions worldwide. Among them:
1997:
Milan, Palazzo della Triennale, La fotografia velata, November, solo exhibition curated by Germano Celant
1998 :
Milan, Galleria Il Diaframma, Giovanni Gastel, solo exhibition
Milan palazzo della Triennale, A noir, curated by Franca Sozzani for Vogue Italia
2004 :
London, Harrods, Giovanni Gastel, Harrods, solo exhibition
2010 :
Milan, Palazzo della Ragione, Maschere e Spettri, September, solo exhibition curated by Germano Celant
2011 :
Milan, Studio Visconti, September, Cose viste, solo exhibition curated by Francesco Porzio
Milan, February, Fabbrica del Vapore, Rolling Stone – Le 100 facce della musica italiana
Milan, May, Triennale di Milano, ARTS & FOODS, curated by Germano Celant
2017 :
Mosca, March, The Lumierè Brothers center for photography, Canons of Beauty, solo exhibition
Milan, September, Fabbrica del Vapore, In the mood for fashion
Turin, September, Gallery Photo & Contemporary, Vintage Polaroids 1981-1997
Shanghai, Photofairs, September, Photo 12 Galerie exhibits some of his works
2018 :
Luxembourg, January, Galerie Clairefontaine Divine Ladies, solo exhibition
2021:
The people I like, Triennale Milano in collaboration with MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Art, Milan, Italy Jewels of Fantasy, Triennale Milano in collaboration with the Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, Museo Teatrale alla Scala, Milan, Italy
Jewels of Fantasy, Triennale Milano in collaboration with the Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, Museo Teatrale alla Scala, Milan, Italy
2023:
Icons, Noir Blanche Galerie für Fotografie, Düsseldorf, Germany
