Gianfranco Gorgoni was born in Rome on December 24th 1941, to Italian actress, Olga Gorgoni. Sadly at the age of 12 he tragically lost his mother and moved to her home town of Bomba in the Abruzzo region to live with his grandparents. In his 20’s he moved to Milan where he gained early success as a commercial and fashion photographer.
In 1968 he came to the United States with the idea of producing a photographic essay on New York artists and returning home in a few months. Instead he became so involved with the project that he remained in New York. At this time he became a close acquaintance of famed Italian gallerist Leo Castelli. Through his mentorship he was introduced to all of the upcoming artists of the day.
During this time he also became a photojournalist traveling throughout the world, documenting world leaders, dignitaries and some of the most important events of the times.
He continued to pursue his photojournalism assignments which led to many recognized covers as well as photographing artists whenever he had the opportunity. His innate charisma and talent helped him persuade artists to relax in front of his camera and allowed him to capture rare and authentic moments.
Throughout his career he shot many of the pop artists of the 70’s and 80’s the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring, just to name a few. He also photographed other artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Donald Judd, Georgia O’Keefe, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Serra and Joseph Beuys, not to mention authors like Truman Capote, Norman Mailer and Allen Ginsberg and many others.
One of his real passions was land art, where he accompanied many artists like Christo and Jean-Claude, Robert Smithson, Michael Heizer and Walter De Maria. He was there to document the initial construction of their projects, works in progress and not just the final pieces. Many of which are lost to time and only remain immortalized through his beautiful work.
On September 11, 2019 after a 14 month battle with cancer, Gianfranco passed away at his home in Harlem surrounded by his family and loved ones. His daughter, Maya along with her husband Christopher are currently managing his impressive archive and Estate. Although he is no longer with us, his memory and legacy live on through his art.
