Angelo Frontoni

The Photographer of the Stars

The exhibit presents some of the best, black and white, set photographs and some portraits, of Angelo Frontoni, the roman photographer, who shot so many actresses to be nicknamed " the photographer of the stars«.

The photos create an ideal path through forty years of Italian cinema: from the 50’s through the 80’s. In the golden days of Cinecittà, around the city — as all Rome was a set where the jet -setters of the dolce vita acted — , on the set and on the backstage : the actors, the filmmakers, the producers, all people of the troupe are caught while working, preparing a scene, discussing of some details or resting for a while.

Each photograph is the result of careful planning and setting ,which makes the images of Angelo Frontoni very recognizable and personal, inextricably linked to the flavour and the characteristics of the period and the world in which he develops his activity. Many are the close up, as the photographer often prefers details, he loves to dwell upon the colour spots made by the scene costumes, on the architectures of the background, on the movements of the actors. The set becomes his studio, the scenery in which to construct the images, lighted mixing artificial and natural light.

The photographs reveal the soul, the lights and the shadows of famous personages and above all exalt the beauty, succeeding in freezing on film everyone’s allure. The feminine universe is valued above all. Few photographers approached women with such enthusiasm, love and genius, exalting the authentic sensuality and revealing the more hidden spirit. As Zeffirelli writes, in the preface to the book «Angelo Frontoni — le mie dive», the set of his photos is a sort of Mount Olympus of woman-goddesses; to visit it leaves the memory of the deep emotions that are felt towards an extraordinary journey in the mind and the heart.

The photographs here presented, animated the pages of Italian and foreign reviews, like Stern, Paris Match, Sunday Times, Vogue, and Playboy; they speak of the climate of a period, of fashion, of life styles; they testify the individual style and talent of Angelo Frontoni, to whom Photo magazine dedicates four special issues.

The glamour and the magic atmosphere of cinema are in the images of the directors, the actresses, , the personalities, which made worldwide famous Hollywood on Tiber : Visconti, Fellini, Zeffirelli, Bolognini, Pasolini, Rosi, Leone, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Jane Fonda, Silvana Mangano, Virna Lisi, Alberto Sordi, Claudia Cardinale, Soraya, Monica Vitti, Catherine Deneuve, Marcello Mastroianni, Ornella Muti, Leslie Caron, Anne Girardot, Claudine Auger, Elizabeth Taylor, Britt Ekland, Brigitte Bardot, Janet Leigh, Lisa Minnelli, Carrol Baker, Raf Vallone, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Collins, Vittorio Gasmann, Julie Christie, Charlotte Rampling, Liv Ullmann, Hanna Schygulla, Nastassia Kinski, Stefania Sandrelli, Dominique Sanda, Anouk Aimée, ................

The name of Angelo Frontoni is tied to the most beautiful portraits of our stars. His personal history is the history of his art.

Elisabetta Bruscolini