Edoardo Montaina

Edoardo Montaina (born 2 February 1954) is an Italian photographer, broadly considered as one of the foremost Italian professionals in the field of art and industrial photography. His work is an essential component of the corporate visual identity of institutions and global corporations such as: Presidency of the Italian Republic, Ford, Fiat, Lottomatica, Telecom, Ansaldo STS, Enel, Leonardo-Finmeccanica, Fincantieri, Magneti Marelli, Metro 5. He is a frequent lecturer at seminars and workshops on creativity and industrial photography held by the Federation of European Photographers. FEP Federazione Europea dei Fotografi. Thanks to his distinct and original style, his work has been widely praised by a number of publications in the field of art and visual culture .

Born in the city of La Spezia in Northern Italy, he moves to Rome in 1965 with his family. It is here that his uncle introduces him to the world of photography. After studying Law in La Sapienza University he starts working as a bank clerk. In 1981 he quits his job to pursue his passion and starts a professional career as a photographer. In his first works he uses still life photography as a way to reinterpret the aesthetic value of basic materials such as glass, fire and vegetal textures: "mysterious pictures in which matter seems to disappear; what remains in front of the viewer is a new and captivating image transcending the portrayed object" (Il Fotografo, Anno VI, n.58 feb. 1982, Mondadori). Natural landscapes also play an important role in the aesthetic pursuit of the first years: "exquisitely sophisticated and yet natural compositions where the reality of things is replaced by surreal visions" (Marco Bastianelli, Reflex, Anno XI, n.129, December 1990. Reflex Editions). After opening his own studio in 1984, he starts applying his visual experimentation to industrial photography. In a few years, contemporary working scenes and industrial sites become the center of his work. In the early Nineties he is called for a number of photo shoots and reportages on prominent Italian industrial sites: Alitalia, Ilva, Enea, Selenia Spazio. His pictures are used by his clients for internal and external communication as a key component of corporate identity. "These are images with a high aesthetic value where evocative and yet delicate allusions are used to describe what the photographer wants us to see beyond the mere reality of things" (Photo Italia, Anno XVI, n. 178, April 1990, Publimedia Editrice). The originality of his style is soon recognized by national photography publications, earning him a number of positive reviews: "in his industrial pictures, Montaina chose not to follow the obvious path of mere celebration. He establishes a personal dialogue with the viewer, a silent conversation made of hints, allusions and the surreal beauty of colors and shapes" (Il fotografo professionista, Anno XXXVII, n.36, December 1992, Kodak Editions). The increasing popularity of his work in the following years is reflected by his client portfolio, which includes global corporations (Ferrari, Finmeccanica, Ford, Fiat, Eni, Enel, Agusta, Fincantieri, Telecom Italia) fashion houses (Roberto Capucci), international advertising agencies (J.W. Thompson, Saatchi & Saatchi, Young & Rubicam) and television networks (SKY, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana, Mediaset, LA 7, ZDF). In 2002 the President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi asks him to reinterpret the image of the Quirinal Palace, the official residence of the President. The result is the widely acclaimed photographic volume Invito al Quirinale.

Author of eighteen photographic books, his creative vision has also been expressed by a series of large format photography volumes commissioned by the Italian Government, in which he interprets some of the most important works of art and architecture in Italy; among them: the Forum of ancient Rome, the Borghese Gallery and the Papal Mews. His aesthetic pursuit, which he refines and cultivates from his very beginnings throughout his entire career, reaches its maturity as the elements of work and industry are translated into pure art photography. In 2012 he publishes an art photography book, titled "The Delicate Hints of Our Life", which is presented in a solo exhibition held in Mexico City Lourdes Sosa Galeria Lourdes Sosa Galeria (May–July 2012). Following another exhibition in late 2012 at the prestigious Magnani Theatre in Fidenza, on March 2013 the book is also presented in Rome at the MAXXI National Museum of the 21st Century Arts, with an innovative multimedia event. On October 2013 he holds a solo exhibition in Copenhagen in the occasion of the "Italian Language in the World Week". The event is named after the photographic book "The delicate hints of our life". "The artist changes the viewer's perspective with colors and shapes that give a new meaning to familiar places. Montaina captures ordinary scenes of working men but the center of his work are not the people themselves nor their work. The real beauty of it is in the quiet passing of time. The ambitious goal of Edoardo Montaina is to gently show how unreal is to let life pass us by". The series is widely praised by art critics and national art publications: "Each of Montaina's pictures tells us a story. His images reveal a unique vision in which the artist speaks to the viewer through the ability to project a single detail into a different dimension, creating an unexpected artistic value" (La Repubblica – 17 October 2012). From October to December 2013 his pictures are exhibited at the Palazzo Ducale in Genova for the event "Edoardo Montaina. L’arte della fotografia industriale", where he is chosen as the most representative exponent of the contemporary Italian industrial photography. On June 2013 his works are exhibited for two months in Genova at the Fondazione Ansaldo in the occasion of the exhibition "Visioni Industriali": an artistic interpretation of the most significant moments in the history of Italian industry. In May 2015, Montaina collaborated with the famous fashion designer Roberto Capucci to hold his latest international art exhibition in Beijing, titled "The art of two contemporary masters. Edoardo Montaina interprets Roberto Capucci". His works are exhibited in Beijing's Parkview Green, in the prestigious atelier of Ne Tiger, one of the top brands of Chinese Haute Couture.

This latest series of the Italian art photographer is a celebration of visual beauty through the inspired combination of photography and fashion: "in front of Edoardo Montaina's camera, the works of Roberto Capucci bring to mind the plasticity of Renaissance sculptures, reveal the subtlety of Baroque, speak of the purest abstractionism"(Il Messaggero – May 18, 2015). His industrial works have been at the center of his latest international event, as his series "Vision of Beauty" was exhibited at Beijing Exhibition Hall on Novembre 2015 in the occasion of "China Instyle Expo 2015". On November 2015, the photographs by Edoardo Montaina that tells the story behind the epic construction of the New Panama Canal have been exhibited in Triennale di Milano (in the occasion of Beyond. Delivering the future for the past 110 years by Salini Impregilo Group) and now collected on the highly visual book The New Panama Canal. A journey between two oceans published on February 2017 by Rizzoli New York.

• e 2000 Jubilee, 50 numbered copies (commissioned by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, 2000).
• "E luce fu...", photographic book, 204 pages, full-colour. Sponsored by ACEA (book series "Energia per la Cultura", published by Baldini e Castoldi, 2003).
• "Invito al Quirinale", photographic book, 225 pages, full-colour, foreword by Cesare De Seta. Project realized under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic (book series "Omaggi", published by Mondadori, 2005). ISBN 88-04-50585-0
• "Cavour", photography boxed set containing 15 full-colour photos signed by the author, limited special edition, 100 numbered copies (sponsored by FINCANTIERI, published by Fontegrafica, 2007).
• "The Delicate Hints of Our Life" photographic book, 100 pages, full-colour (sponsored by Grupo Tecno, published by Fontegrafica, 2011).
• "Blu", full-colour photographic book on the naval division of the Italian Guardia di Finanza (in course of publication).
• "Serene", full-colour photographic book on the first Megayacht built in Italy by FINCANTIERI (in course of publication).
• "The New Panama Canal. A journey between two oceans", full-color photographic book (written by Rosa Maria Britton), Rizzoli NewYork, 2017. ISBN 978-0-8478-5964-1

• Edoardo Montaina, Museo delle arti e tradizioni popolari dell’Eur (Rome, 2007)
• The delicate hints of our life, Lourdes Sosa Galeria (Mexico City, 2012)
• The delicate hints of our life, Teatro Girolamo Magnani (Fidenza, 2012)
• The delicate hints of our life, MAXXI – National Museum of the 21st Century Arts (Rome, 1 March 2013)
• L'arte della fotografia industriale, Palazzo Ducale (Genova, 2013)
• The delicate hints of our life, IIC (Copenaghen, 2013)
• The art of two contemporary masters. Edoardo Montaina interprets Roberto Capucci, Parview Green (Beijing, May 2015)
• Edoardo Montaina. Vision of Beauty, Beijing Exhibition Center (November 2015)