GHITTA CARELL | Exhibition

The exhibition 'Ghitta Carell: Ritratti del Novecento' has opened at Villa Necchi Campiglio (FAI – Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano) in Milan, and will remain open until 12 October. It pays tribute to Ghitta Carell, a leading figure in 20^(th)-century photography, who had the ability to capture the complexity of the faces and identities that shaped her era with a keen eye and rare sensitivity.

The bookshop at the Villa is selling the book Ghitta Carell's Portraits: We All Think of Ourselves as One Single Person, but It's Not True, which was published in 2024 by 5 Continents Editions and is curated by Roberto Dulio and Maria Sica. Echoing a famous line from Pirandello's 'Six Characters in Search of an Author', the book delves into the life and work of Ghitta Carell (1899–1972). A photographer of Hungarian origin who became an Italian citizen, Carell used a large-format camera to portray actors, intellectuals, officers, members of the bourgeoisie and royalty.

She meticulously and delicately edited her photographs, removing the more superficial layers to reveal their essence. This practice of subtraction and unveiling is evident in the pages of the book and the portraits displayed in the exhibition.