Moretti Fine Art is delighted to announce its forthcoming exhibition, Massimo Listri. Fotografie, dedicated to the grace, precision, and spiritual intensity that define the artistic work of Massimo Listri. The showcase will be held at the Monte-Carlo gallery, located at 27, Avenue de la Costa, from 9 April to 9 May 2025.
MASSIMO LISTRI'S WORKS PRESENT A NARRATIVE OF ATEMPORAL SPACES. DURING HIS 30-YEAR CAREER, LISTRI HAS TRANSPORTED HIS VIEWERS FROM THE SOLEMN CHAMBERS OF THE VATICAN TO THE REGAL HALLS OF GERMAN AND ITALIAN PALAZZOS. HIS PROFOUND APPRECIATION FOR ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN FINDS ELOQUENT EXPRESSION IN HIS PHOTOGRAPHS, WHICH SERVE AS BOTH ARTISTIC AND HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION.
Born in 1953, Listri’s fascination with interior spaces emerged early in his career. By the age of seventeen, his work was already being featured in prestigious art and architecture publications. In 1981, he founded the internationally acclaimed magazine FMR, which became a renowned platform for his photographic essays. His prolific career has led to the publication of over fifty volumes, chronicling a vast array of historic palaces, villas, and private residences across the world. His solo exhibitions have graced esteemed institutions such as El Museo de Arte Moderno in Buenos Aires and Palazzo Pitti in Florence, cementing his reputation as one of the foremost photographers of his generation.
As Charles Baudelaire once wrote, “The true traveller is only the one who departs for the sake of departing.” Listri embodies this sentiment, though in his case, travel is not about movement but about capturing the essence of spaces left behind. His constant exploration does not result in a mere documentation of locations, but rather in a visual meditation on presence and absence, grandeur and desolation. A tireless observer of the passage of time, Listri does not simply depict interiors—he imbues them with emotion, revealing their invisible histories. His work transcends pure representation, capturing the intangible weight of memory, nostalgia, and solitude.
His images evoke a sense of poetic stillness, akin to the interiors of Hammershøi, though this is not merely an inspiration but a methodology, an imprint of thought. Each space he captures seems suspended in a timeless limbo, inhabited by the echoes of past lives. Whether it be the abandoned villa near Turin, the criminal asylum of Montelupo, or the grandeur of Schwetzingen Castle in Germany, Listri’s photographs transport viewers into a world where history lingers as an almost tactile presence. He explores the psychological impact of emptiness—how abandonment is not merely a physical condition but a state of being. As in the final, haunting scene of Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Best Offer, where a once-crowded gallery is left barren, Listri’s compositions suggest a poignant reflection on the fragility of possession and the inexorable passage of time.
Listri’s photographic practice is a meditative and immersive process, shaped by his passion for antique collecting, interior decoration, and art history. Using large-format negatives, natural light, and extended exposure times, he creates images that transcend mere documentation, instead offering a contemplative experience that celebrates the symphony of light, space, and history. His vision is neither sentimental nor nostalgic — it is an unflinching study of the way spaces absorb and retain human presence, even in their emptiness.
Moretti Fine Art’s exhibition MASSIMO LISTRI. FOTOGRAFIE IS A CULMINATION OF LISTRI'S LIFELONG DEVOTION TO ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND AN EXCELLENT ILLUSTRATION OF HIS UNIQUE AND ORIGINAL ARTISTIC VISION.
27 avenue de la Costa MC 98000 Monaco
+377 99990970
monaco@morettigallery.com
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Monday 2pm - 6pm
Tuesday to Thursday 10 - 6pm
Friday: 10am - 2pm
