Internationally renowned icon Letizia Battaglia was, and is, a multifaceted figure whose impact has been decisive in the world of culture, as well as in affirming the strength and capacity of women in a world of ‘men only’.
On the occasion of 8 March, the day dedicated to women, her life is an example that moves consciences and wins admirers of all ages and genders thanks to the evocative power of her works.

PHOTOGRAPHY, HER WORLD

Her black and white shots have described the history of Palermo (her home town) with its social ‘hells’: the Mafia, poverty, misery and failures. Battaglia was able to crystallise the 70s, 80s and 90s, in which a wounded Palermo sought its way to salvation. Her works, originally born out of an urge to document, have become art capable of speaking to the whole world.
The latest anthological exhibition dedicated to her took place in 2019 first in Venice, in the prestigious setting of the Casa dei Tre Oci, and then in Milan at the Palazzo Reale. Curated by Francesca Alfano Miglietti and organised by Civita Tre Venezie, the retrospective was promoted by Fondazione di Venezia and Tendercapital. On that occasion, the public was able to admire 300 photographs, many previously unpublished, capable of lucidly recounting the social and political context. Portraits, but also moments of public life, images of life, death, love and pain. A journey in which the poetic and political photography of a woman always curious about her surroundings emerges. The shots tell of ideologies and convictions regarding society, political commitment, marginalised realities, the violence caused by power wars and the emancipation of women. A path capable of fully recounting Letizia Battaglia, unique artist and icon of our time.

FIRST WOMAN REPORTER

Letizia Battaglia’s career began far away from art photography, as a mafia photo reporter, the first Italian woman to photograph the heinous crimes of Cosa Nostra in her native Palermo. In a world incapable of thinking of women outside the home, Letizia Battaglia managed to emerge, becoming one of the most accredited and recognised interpreters of the profession. Her photos have immortalised fundamental moments in the history of our country, such as the image of Piersanti Mattarella dying in the arms of his brother Sergio, the current President of the Republic. She was the first European woman to receive the prestigious Eugene Smith Prize in 1985, an international award in memory of the great photographer of “Life” magazine. The dramatic nature and ability to “seize the moment” have made Battaglia’s images iconic, now a symbol of femininity and art that does not give in to imposition. In November 2017, after inaugurating the International Centre of Photography inside the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa in her native Palermo, she was chosen by the New York Times as one of the 11 most interesting women of the year.

AFTER PHOTOGRAPHY

Alongside photography, Battaglia has also devoted herself to politics and writing, with varying degrees of success. She has taken on challenges in a wide variety of fields, without ever giving up the task of reporting on society. However, it is through photography that she has managed to take on “the world, wherever it may be”, fully expressing her incomparable poetic and communicative vein and giving us, with her shots, a valuable lesson in life and self-determination.