Franco Fontana is one of the best known Italian photographers of our time. This is the catalogue of the exhibition opened to the public at the Museo dell’Ara Pacis in Rome on 13 December 2024, curated by Jean-Luc Monterosso, one of the founders of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie and its director from 1996 to 2018. Born in Modena in 1933, Fontana began photographing as an amateur in 1961 and his style took shape at the end of that decade under the influence of abstract expressionism and minimalism, with Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Ad Reinhardt as his points of reference. From the start he gave himself to an aesthetic search focused on form and on the abstract expression of colour, a theme far removed from the classic black-and-white art photography that prevailed at the time. After his first solo shows in Turin and Modena his career was a run of successes, crowned by exhibitions in the most important international museums, numerous prizes and work with cultural institutions and prestigious firms that entrusted him with advertising campaigns and calendars. He is an eclectic photographer who has tried his hand successfully at several genres, and whatever the subject — rural, industrial or urban landscapes — it always comes second to the two absolute protagonists of his practice.