Synopsis

Paolo Di Paolo, was born on 17 May 1925 in Larino in Molise, moved to Rome immediately after the war and enrolled in the faculty of History and Philosophy at La Sapienza University. He frequented the artistic circles of Rome, in particular the Forma 1 Group, deciding to develop his interest in the figurative arts through photography.

The debut as a photographer takes place as an amateur, in the sense of “photographing for pleasure”.
In 1954 his first photo was published in the cultural weekly Il Mondo directed by Mario Pannunzio, in which, until the newspaper closed in 1966, Di Paolo was the most published photographer.

Between 1954 and 1956 he collaborated with Settimana Incom Illustrata and in the same period he began an assiduous partnership with the weekly Tempo which lasted until 1968.
Numerous investigations and reports were signed with the most established journalists of the time. As a correspondent he traveled to the Soviet Union, Iran, Japan, the United States, as well as throughout Europe.
Thanks to the friendships established in the cinema and art scene circles, he created private and exclusive photos of the greatest intellectuals, artists, actors and directors of the time. He concluded his photographic career in tandem with Irene Brin, a famous costume journalist, dedicating himself to fashion reports and society.

With the advent of television, the consequent closure of many newspapers and the tabloid orientation of the press, in 1968 Paolo Di Paolo decided to stop in the photographic field and returned to dedicating himself to studies, editing historical editions for the Carabinieri for around fifty years.
The archive, made up of over two hundred thousand negatives, will remain hidden for half a century.

In 2019, the MAXXI Museum in Rome exhibited its first exhibition, the important retrospective Mondo Perduto – Photographs 1954 /1968.

In 2021 the photographer and director Bruce Weber presents the documentary film on Paolo Di Paolo The treasure of his youth.
Paolo Di Paolo’s artistic production is the subject of essays and numerous degree theses in History of Art, Communication Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences.
In May of 2023, Paolo Di Paolo receives the “Honorary Degree” in Art History from the Sapienza University of Rome which celebrates him with the recognition of the most important Italian photographer of the 20th century.

Paolo Di Paolo passed away on 12 June 2023 in Larino, at the age of 98.