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Massimo Vitali

Italian, b. 1944

Massimo Vitali was born in Como, Italy, in 1944. He studied photography at the London College of Printing, in the 1970s initially working as a photojournalist, but at the beginning of the 1980s, a growing mistrust in the belief that photography had an absolute capacity to reproduce the subtleties of reality led to a change in his career path.

Vitali worked in cinematography for film and television before beginning a fine art practice in 1995. Over the next two decades, he would gain recognition for his highly detailed, epic-scale panoramas — sociopolitical observations of the natural habitat of humankind at leisure. Vitali’s iconic series of beach panoramas, captured from a distance with an elevated large-format camera platform, began in the light of drastic political changes in Italy.

Drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Old Flemish masters, in which the central space is fully exploited and the urban or natural landscape becomes the background, Vitali’s large-scale photographs grasp the viewer by capturing highly detailed observances of the recreational habitats of modern civilization.

Vitali’s work has been collected in six monographs: Beach and Disco, Natural Habitats, Landscapes With Figures, Swimming Pools, Short Stories and, in 2020, Entering A New World.

Additionally, Vitali’s work is represented in the world’s major museums, including the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, the Fonds national d'art contemporain in Paris, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Fondation Cartier in Paris and the Museo Luigi Pecci in Prato.

Vitali lives and works in Lucca (Italy) and in Berlin (Germany).

Find a collection of original Massimo Vitali photography on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by Edition EKTAlux)

Porto Miggiano (framed) - large scale photograph of Italian Mediterranean beach
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
large scale photograph of iconic summer beach scene in Southern Italy's Puglia by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand s...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Massimo Vitali

Materials

Plexiglass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper,...

Santa Maria al Bagno diptych - large scale Mediterranean beach scene (framed)
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
large format photography diptych by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and ritua...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Massimo Vitali

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Wood, Archival Paper

Porto Miggiano Colony - large scale Mediterranean beach scene (artist framed)
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
large scale photograph of iconic summer beach scene in Puglia by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure Porto Miggiano...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Massimo Vitali

Materials

Plexiglass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper

Carcavelos Pier Paddle (framed) - large scale photograph of summer beach scene
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
large format photograph of a summer beach scene along Portugal's Atlantic coast by iconic Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure Carcavelos Pier Paddle (2016) 61.25” x 81.68” / 155.60 cm x 207.46 cm limited edition of 6 + 2AP (signed, titled and dated on certificate of authenticity) original archival photography print with diasec (acrylic glass) face mount in contemporary white lacquered gallery frame Each limited edition original Massimo Vitali photograph is printed in Italy under artist supervision in strictly limited edition (6 + 2AP) , signed/titled/dated upon final inspection and expertly framed at renowned European art framing facility Disclaimer of authenticity: although it is possible to acquire (small size) single page offset prints from the book "A Portfolio of Landscapes and Figures" (published by Steidl) in the secondary market, the artist studio strongly dissuades collectors from purchasing these single page prints outside of the context and authenticity of the complete portfolio. About the artist: Massimo Vitali was born in Como, Italy, in 1944. He studied photography at the London College of Printing, in the 1970s initially working as a photojournalist, but at the beginning of the 80s a growing mistrust in the belief that photography had an absolute capacity to reproduce the subtleties of reality led to a change in his career path. Vitali worked in cinematography for film and television before beginning a fine art practice in 1995. Over the next two decades, he would gain recognition for his highly detailed, epic-scale panoramas — sociopolitical observations of the natural habitat of humankind at leisure. Vitali’s iconic series of beach panoramas, captured from a distance with an elevated large-format camera platform, began in the light of drastic political changes in Italy. Drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Old Flemish masters, in which the central space is fully exploited and the urban or natural landscape becomes the background, Vitali’s photographs grasp the viewer by capturing highly detailed observances of the recreational habitats of modern civilization. Vitali’s work has been collected in six monographs: Beach and Disco, Natural Habitats, Landscapes With Figures, Swimming Pools, Short Stories and Entering A New World. Additionally, his work is represented in the world’s major museums, including the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, the Fond National Art Contemporaine in Paris, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Fondation Cartier in Paris and the Museo Luigi Pecci in Prato. Massimo Vitali lives and works in Lucca (Italy) and in Berlin (Germany). __________________________ SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2021 'PienoVuoto' Forte di Belvedere, Florence 2020 'Human Constellations' Museo Ettore Fico, Turin 2019 Massimo Vitali: Short Stories' Mazzoleni, London 2018 'Coastal Colonies' Spiral, Tokyo 2017 ‘Disturbed Coastal Systems’ Benrubi Gallery (New York, USA) 2016 ‘Landscapes with Figures’ Guido & Schoen Arte Contemponania (Genoa, Italy) 2016 ‘Massimo Vitali’ Crown Gallery (Knokke-Zoute, Belgium) 2016 ‘Massimo Vitali’ Ronchini Gallery (London, UK) 2015 ‘New Prints’ Hilger Next (Vienna, Austria) 2014 ‘Massimo Vitali’ Studio La Citta (Verona, Italy) 2014 ‘Into The White’ Erich Lindenberg Art Foundation (Porza, Switzerland) 2014 ‘Sempre più pallide. Towards Achrome’ Palazzo Tadea (Spilimbergo, Italy) 2013 ‘Between Normalities’ Bonni Benrubi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Massimo Vitali

Materials

Wood, Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper

Cala Conta Evening - large scale Mediterranean beach scene (artist framed)
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
large format beach photograph by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure Cala Conta...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Massimo Vitali

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Wood, Archival Paper

Lampedusa (framed) - large scale photograph of Mediterranean summer beach scene
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
Large format photograph of a summer beach scene on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, from an earlier body of works (2012) by iconic Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure Lampedusa (2012) 61.25” x 81.7” / 156 cm x 207,5 cm limited edition of 6 + 2AP (signed, titled and dated on certificate of authenticity) last available edition: AP1 original archival photography print with diasec (acrylic glass) face mount in contemporary white lacquered gallery frame Each limited edition original Massimo Vitali photograph is printed in Italy under artist supervision in strictly limited edition (6 + 2AP) , signed/titled/dated upon final inspection and expertly framed at renowned European art framing facility Disclaimer of authenticity: although it is possible to acquire (small size) single page offset prints from the book "A Portfolio of Landscapes and Figures" (published by Steidl) in the secondary market, the artist studio strongly dissuades collectors from purchasing these single page prints outside of the context and authenticity of the complete portfolio. About the artist: Massimo Vitali was born in Como, Italy, in 1944. He studied photography at the London College of Printing, in the 1970s initially working as a photojournalist, but at the beginning of the 80s a growing mistrust in the belief that photography had an absolute capacity to reproduce the subtleties of reality led to a change in his career path. Vitali worked in cinematography for film and television before beginning a fine art practice in 1995. Over the next two decades, he would gain recognition for his highly detailed, epic-scale panoramas — sociopolitical observations of the natural habitat of humankind at leisure. Vitali’s iconic series of beach panoramas, captured from a distance with an elevated large-format camera platform, began in the light of drastic political changes in Italy. Drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Old Flemish masters, in which the central space is fully exploited and the urban or natural landscape becomes the background, Vitali’s photographs grasp the viewer by capturing highly detailed observances of the recreational habitats of modern civilization. Vitali’s work has been collected in six monographs: Beach and Disco, Natural Habitats, Landscapes With Figures, Swimming Pools, Short Stories and Entering A New World. Additionally, his work is represented in the world’s major museums, including the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, the Fond National Art Contemporaine in Paris, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Fondation Cartier in Paris and the Museo Luigi Pecci in Prato. Massimo Vitali lives and works in Lucca (Italy) and in Berlin (Germany). __________________________ SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2025 94/22 Zander Galerie, Cologne 2024 Photolux Festival - Il bel paese? Palazzo Ducale, Lucca, Italy 2023 La Grande Oasi - The way we live, now OCA, Oasy Contemporary Art, Pistoia 2023 Standing Still Cortona On The Move, Arezzo, Italy 2022 Massimo Vitali PhotoESPANA Biblioteca Central Cantabria, Santander 2022 Endless Summer Edwin Hook Gallery, New York 2022 Massimo Vitali: Leporello 2020 Melbourne 2022 Ti ho visto Mazzoleni Gallery, Turin 2021 PienoVuoto Forte di Belvedere, Florence 2021 No Country For Old Men Visionarea Art Space, Rome 2020 'Human Constellations' Museo Ettore Fico, Turin 2019 Massimo Vitali: Short Stories' Mazzoleni, London 2018 'Coastal Colonies' Spiral, Tokyo 2017 ‘Disturbed Coastal Systems’ Benrubi Gallery...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Massimo Vitali

Materials

Plexiglass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper

Cala Conta Black Dog - large scale Mediterranean beach scene (artist framed)
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
large format photograph by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure Cala Conta...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Massimo Vitali

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Wood, Archival Paper

Massimo Vitali VIAREGGIO AIR SHOW Lithograph, 26"H x 34"W
By Massimo Vitali
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Artist/Designer; Manufacturer: Massimo Vitali (Italian, b. 1944) Marking(s); notes: artist's stamp verso; ed. 50/120; 2006 Materials: offset lithograph Dimensions (H, W, D): 26.75"h,...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Massimo Vitali

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

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Massimo Vitali Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMediumCreation Year
2025$23,321Landscape Photography, Color PhotographyPlexiglass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée Print1999
2024$2,100Landscape PrintsOffset Print2002
$13,050
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$2,100-$24,000
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Artists Similar to Massimo Vitali

Massimo Vitali art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Massimo Vitali art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Massimo Vitali in paper, archival paper, photographic paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Massimo Vitali art, so small editions measuring 28 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Luca Campigotto, Olivo Barbieri, and Aziz + Cucher. Massimo Vitali art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,400 and tops out at $90,000, while the average work can sell for $44,000.

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