Giuseppe Vanzella: Elio Luxardo: Nudes

Silvana, 2026, hardcover, 128 pages, 25.1 x 33 cm

Text in English and Italian

This volume presents Elio Luxardo's intimate production of original nude photographs from the early 1930s.

An adopted Roman, but born in Brazil in 1908 to Italian immigrant parents, Elio Luxardo (Sorocaba, 1908 – Milan, 1969) is perhaps the greatest representative of that generation of photographers who found themselves immersed in Italy in the 1930s, while clearly differentiating themselves from their colleagues of the time.

A master craftsman of the darkroom, he arrived in Rome in 1932 and grew professionally during the period when the Cinecittà film studios were being developed, cultivating his talent by portraying the actors and actresses of the time. But it was in his studio, far from the film sets, that he brought his inventive flair to the highest level, confining his work to a fascinating and intense mise en scène, from which he was able to extract a brilliant core of images dedicated exclusively to nude photography.

Accompanied an exhibition in Rome, at the Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio, 17 September to 5 December 2025