MIMMO DABBRESCIA

Mimmo Dabbrescia was born in Barletta, but moved to Milano in the 50’s. Here he fell in love with photography and started working with Fedele Toscani who was then collaborating with “Corriere della Sera”. Hired by the famous daily newspaper, he became the youngest staff photographer and went on to work with “La Domenica del Corriere” and just born “Amica” magazine, shooting reportages all over the world. In October 1963 Mimmo quit “Corriere” to launch his own photo agency and start working with every major weekly and the most important record companies.

During the 60’s and 70’s he shot virtually every major music and film star, including the Beatles, Fabrizio De André, Mina, Mia Martini, Joe Cocker, Clint Eastwood, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, but also Eugenio Montale, Dino Buzzati, Riccardo Bacchelli, Federico Fellini, Claudia Cardinale, Marcello Mastroianni, Gilbert Bécaud, Lucio Battisti, Adriano Celentano and even a very young Lucio Dalla.

In the early 70s’ Mimmo started gravitating around the art world in the legendary Brera neighborhood. Fascinated by the lesser known aspects of an artist’s life, he began publishing photo books on Dalì, Guttuso, De Chirico, Baj, Hartung, Migneco, Dova, Sassu and others. His first book was Visti Così (Seen like that), which received an award from Provincia di Milano, followed by Obiettivo sull'arte (Focus on art) and Uomini e arte (Men and art).

In March 1975 his passion for art encouraged him to launch with Bruna Coradini “Prospettive d’arte”, an art magazine he directed for over twenty years. He also produced more and more books on contemporary painters whose works were also accompanied by lengthy photo essays (Orfeo Tamburi, Ernesto Treccani, Augusto Murer, Michele Cascella). A trip to Polynesia on Gauguin’s footsteps with Salvatore Fiume produced the book Omaggio alla Polinesia (Tribute to Polynesia).

Mimmo then focused on publishing art limited editions, art multiples and precious collector books featuring lithos and etchings. He soon started his own art gallery, called Prospettive d’arte, which is now run by his sons Paolo and Riccardo.

In 2009, celebrating the tenth anniversary of legendary singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André’s passing, he had a travelling exhibition of his historic photographs of Fabrizio, taken between 1969 and 1974. In 2012 doctor Laura Lorusso presented her thesis at the Brera Fine Art Academy in Milano, focusing on Mimmo’s work. In recent years Mimmo has shot reportages in Thailand, Brasil, China, Cuba, Mexico, Morocco, Tunisia, Spain, Egypt, Kenya.