SERGIO

STRIZZI

Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi on the set of La vita e bella (Life is Beautiful), 1997. Sergio Strizzi. Courtesy c Archivio Sergio Strizzi

WHAT?  Sergio Strizzi: The Perfect Moment 

WHERE?  Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, 39a Canonbury Square, London N1 2AN

WHEN?  Now until 8th September 

WHY GO?  To cherish a titan of the cinema.  If Hollywood made a film in Italy, Strizzi was their man to shoot behind the scenes.  From the Fifties onwards until he put away his camera in the early 2000’s, Strizzi had been on about 100 film sets all around the world. 

The title of this exhibition says it all!  These atmospheric photographs capture perfect cinematic moments throughout the distinguished career of Italian stills photographer Strizzi who died in 2004 after a lifetime working with the greats.

How many photographers can claim to have worked with so many of the world's most famous film directors, names like Antonioni and John Huston, not to mention actors as iconic as Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn?

Strizzi was on set for many of the early and most admired James Bond movies such as From Russia with Love and later in an unconventional mood switch for Terry Gilliam‘s quirky Adventures of Baron Munchhausen film.

He was so revered that Hepburn herself requested him when she came back into movies on the set of Bloodline in the Seventies.

Whether it’s his atmospheric images for intense Antonioni films like La Notte (The Night) or sensitive images for classic films like Life is Beautiful, Strizzi’s name goes down in cinematic history as an artist behind the camera and this is a rare chance to see his work showcased for the first time in London.

IN THE KNOW  The Gallery’s secluded Garden café provides a reflective spot to ponder the pleasures of their permanent Futurist collections and during the Sergio Strizzi exhibition, will be open every Thursday until 8pm along with the on-site bookshop where the accompanying exhibition catalogue is a sure to be a hit with film buffs.