Franco Fontana, Italian master of color photography, dies at 92

Modena, 29 août 2026 – Franco Fontana, l'un des photographes italiens les plus influents du XXe siècle, est décédé à son domicile de Modena à l'âge de 92 ans. L'artiste, né le 9 décembre 1933 à Cognento, s'est éteint entouré de sa famille, selon des sources proches.

Fontana revolutionized landscape photography by using color as a structural element, creating clean images where fields, seas and skies are transformed into abstract blocks of color. His style, instantly recognizable, has left its mark on generations of photographers.

Fontana's career began in the 1960s. In 1963, he exhibited at the third International Color Biennial in Vienna, then held his first solo exhibition in 1965 in Turin. Since then, his works have been presented in more than 400 exhibitions and published in 70 books.

Museums around the world, more than fifty, keep his prints: the MoMA in New York, the Center Pompidou in Paris, the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, among others. His photographs have also been used in advertising campaigns for major brands such as Fiat, Volkswagen, Sony, Versace and Canon.

The photographer has collaborated with international magazines like Time-Life and Vogue USA. He has received numerous awards and distinctions, confirming his status as a major figure in contemporary photography.

Ses compositions minimalistes, souvent comparées à la peinture abstraite, ont influencé la photographie de paysage et de mode. Fontana a toujours défendu le potentiel expressif de la couleur, qu'il considérait comme son langage propre.

En 2024, à l'occasion du Brescia Photo Festival, il déclarait : « Le color est ma vie, quelque chose qui me permet de revivre le passé. » Une phrase qui résume sa philosophie artistique, centrée sur la perception sensorielle et l'abstraction du réel.

The funeral ceremony will take place on Monday in Modena, in the strictest privacy, announced the relatives. A public tribute is planned in the coming weeks by the municipality, which had already honored the photographer on his 90th birthday.