Biography
Vincenzo Cottinelli
Born in Brescia in 1938. Italian free-lance photographer committed to cultural and social actuality. Has been represented by the photo Agencies Grazia Neri in Milano and Opale in Paris, he produces portraits and emblematic pictures, social and travel reportages, mostly in traditional high quality black & white silverprints. His archive includes portraits of worldwide important intellectuals (writers, philosophers) and artists (painters, musicians, photographers). Cottinelli is founder member of the photographers association "il biancoenero" (theblack&white). He runs the no-profit showroom La Stanza delle Biciclette (some exhibited authors: Luigi Ghirri, Randa Mirza, Chris Steele-Perkins, Antonella Gandini, Pietro Masturzo, Monica Bulaj).
Vincenzo Cottinelli
Publications
Till now he has published on magazines and newspaper as: the European, Le Monde, Graphis New York, Yediot Aharonot, Literary Monthly of Israel, Asiaweek, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, The Independent, Rheinisches Merkur, Linea d'Ombra, Il Diario, L'Unità, Il Giornale dell'Arte, Giornale della Libreria, il Corriere Della Sera, Io Donna, La Repubblica delle donne, la Stampa, Slow, Airone, Terre di Mezzo, L'Immaginazione, Meta, FotoGraphia, Una Città, Poesia, L'Indice dei Libri, Uniòn (Cuban writer's magazine), Portraits d'écrivains (Opale-Bréal, Paris 2002), Agenda Letteraria, Agenda di Magistratura Democratica, L'Europeo, Natural Style,Vanity Fair, Teseo, East, Nostro Lunedì, Atlante Bresciano, Alias/Manifesto, FOCUS Magazine, Past & Present» (Oxford University Press); on Rosso Fiorentino, september 2004, My pictures with Terzani, 15 portraits of Tiziano Terzani.

Cottinelli's pictures have been used on more than 65 book covers by the publishers Baldini & Castoldi, Bibliofabbrica, CUEC Editore, Edizioni del Gruppo Abele, Di Renzo, Feltrinelli, Globo Livros, Hanser Verlag, Hoffman und Kampe, Droemer Verlag, Longanesi, Maisonneuve & Larose, Mondadori (above all: the 7 Meridiani boxes of Bertolucci, Bobbio, Kapuscinski, Magris, Saramago, Terzani, Zanzotto), Penguin Books, Random House, Riemann, Rizzoli, il Saggiatore, Scheiwiller, TEA, University of Chicago Press, University of Toronto Press, WAB Warszawa, Zysk i S-ka Poznan; for Mantova's Festivaletteratura booklets; for the Malkit Singh's music CD Bhangra, Sensible Records publisher.
To see most of the covers and reportages, press the "published works" button.
Photographic Books
  1. Personalities of Italian and world culture, texts by Cesare Colombo & Tino Bino, note by the Author, LaQuadra Publisher.
  2. Visages de la culture italienne, forewords by Francesco Scarabicchi, for Tour de Babel, Paris.
  3. Garden's Dream, Texts by the Author and Alessandra Mauro, Poems by Antònio Ramos Rosa and Francesco Scarabicchi, Contrasto Publishing House.
  4. Tiziano Terzani: ritratto di un amico, prefaces by Grazia Neri and Ettore Mo, Vallardi Publishing House.
  5. La domenica, arabo, with essays by Vincenzo Consolo and Claudio Marra, published by Riello Group.
  6. Ritratti d'Autore published by Ancona Commune, with essay of Francesco Scarabicchi.
  7. Philobiblon published by Mantova Commune and Baratta Public Library, preface of Silvio Perrella.
  8. Volti dell'impegno, new writers' portraits, texts by Grazia Neri and Marco Vallora, Grafo Publishing House.
  9. Sguardi, writers' portraits, editing by Grazia Cherchi, preface & captions by Lalla Romano, La Quadra Publishing House.
Books illustrated by Cottinelli's various pictures:
  • Atelier, Elisabetta Orsini, 2nd edition 2017, Moretti & Vitali.
  • Nessun consuntivo (Andrea Zanzotto's 90th birthday) 2011, Antiga Edizioni.
  • L'immaginario del Reale, Brescia 2009.
  • Fantasmi, Tiziano Terzani, 2008 Longanesi.
  • Magistratura Democratica, Agende 2006, 2007, 2008 by Angolo Manzoni.
  • La fine è il mio inizio, Tiziano Terzani, 2006 Longanesi.
  • Colloqui con Nino, care of Andrea Zanzotto, Pieve di Soligo, 2005.
  • Posta Letteraria, by Wislawa Szymborska, Scheiwiller 2002.
  • Per Grazia Cherchi, Piacenza, Vicolo del Pavone, 2002.
Personal exhibitions (writers' portraits)
  1. Sarnico, Torre Civica, Tiziano Terzani, ritratto di un amico.
  2. Carpenedolo, Palazzo Laffranchi, and Brescia, La Stanza delle Biciclette: Omaggio a Tiziano Terzani.
  3. Piacenza in "Grazia Cherchi" Library, Lalla Romano and Grazia Cherchi, a friendship for writing.
  4. Gussago, Palazzo Nava, for Levi Cultural Association, Brescia's Municipality and Province, 30 portraits of famous women.
  5. Udine, for Tiziano Terzani Literary Price, Omaggio a Tiziano Terzani; Roma, on behalf of the munuicipality, Omaggio a Tiziano Terzani; Bolzano, Tina Modotti Club Gallery, Omaggio a Tiziano Terzani.
  6. Milano, Grazia Neri Gallery, Omaggio a Tiziano Terzani; Colli del Tronto, Trenta Ritratti.
  7. Brescia, Rinascita bookshop.
  8. Ancona, for the Commune; Piacenza, in the City Gallery Ricci-Oddi two times; Sarnico La Torre Gallery and Civic Museum; Belgioioso.
  9. Milano, in Dergano-Bovisa public Library; London, on behalf of the Italian Cultural Institute.
  10. Mirano, villa Morosini, for the Comune.
  11. Siena, Piazza del Campo, in the Palazzo Pubblico for the Baldisserri Cultural Association and the Municipality; Firenze, in Corsini-Suarez Palace, by the Gabinetto Vieusseux.
  12. Brescia, for the Municipality and Grazia Neri Agency, S.Filippo & Giacomo Gallery, with book.
  13. for the Italian Cultural Institute, at Jerusalem Hebrew University, at Tel Aviv Bialik museum.
  14. Napoli, Galassia Gutenberg book festival; Bern, Switzerland, in the City and University Library, on behalf of the Italian Embassy Culture office; Milano, Feltrinelli bookshop; Torino Book Festival, by La Città del Sole bookshop; Habana, Cuba, for the Italian Culture Week, on behalf of the Cuban Writers Union and the Italian Embassy.
  15. Iseo, Arsenale Gallery; at Lecce and Otranto for the Liberrima bookshop and the District Culture Office; Wien, by the Italian Cultural Institute.
  16. In the Feltrinelli bookshops of Milano, Bologna and Modena; in the Palazzo Penna of Perugia, for the Commune.
Personal exhibitions of different subjects
  1. Garden's Dream, Verbania Literature and nature Festival.
  2. The Maharaja folly, Poetic view of Moghul Architecture by analogic b&w photos - Gusmeri fine Art Brescia.
  3. The Paris mourn, traces of cultural sorrow for the 2015 terrorist attacks, Brescia City Hall.
  4. Garden's Dream, Brescia, La Stanza delle Biciclette gallery.
  5. Poor Homeland, about politic situation in Italy, Gussago, Palazzo Nava.
  6. Poor Homeland, about politic situation in Italy, Brescia, La Stanza delle Biciclette Gallery.
  7. La Domenica, Arabo - MiMA Gallery Verona.
  8. Cambodia, Traces of horror, on Red Khmer's massacres, Udine, for Vicino/Lontano Literary Festival.
  9. La domenica, arabo Genova, Palazzo Ducale.
  10. La domenica, arabo for Genova Suk Festival.
  11. La domenica, arabo - first issue Legnago, Teatro Salieri and City's Museum.
  12. 14 images about Justice Gussago, Palazzo Nava.
  13. Mantova, Baratta Public Library, Philobiblon, on behalf of Festivaletteratura and the Municipality.
  14. Brescia, Primo piano Gallery, Nudes.
  15. Leggere Libri (Reading books) Brescia, Libra bookshop.
Collective exhibitions
  1. Bannata/Enna A twinkling of an eye.
  2. Brescia, Santa Giulia City Museun, for ilbiancoenero, A neapolitan in Paris, on the artist Gino Diomaiuto.
  3. Brescia, Playlight (my first digital & color exhibited work) for ilbiancoenero, Bishops Museum.
  4. Brescia, St.Zenone Gallery, for ilbiancoenero: Nigerian Christian Church in Brescia.
  5. Spoleto collective Author's Self-Portraits.
  6. Brescia for ilbiancoenero Association, Helpful Hands.
  7. Brescia (St.Filippo & Giacomo Gallery) and Milano (Grazia Neri Gallery) winners and mentioned at Memorial Giacomelli.
  8. Brescia for ilbiancoenero; Milan, at Grazia Neri Gallery, for Grazia Neri and her friends photographers.
  9. Milano, Arengario Gallery, 3 writers' portraits.
  10. Milano, Brecht Association, Writers for Europe 5 portraits.
  11. Brescia, Ucai Gallery.
  12. Pieve di Soligo, tribute to the poet Andrea Zanzotto.
  13. Brescia, S.Filippo & Giacomo Gallery.
  14. Spoleto and Savignano sul Rubicone.
Cottinelli's Prints Collectors
Various Cottinelli's black & white gelatin silver prints are in private collections in Ancona, Brescia, Fermo, Firenze, Lille, Lonato, Legnago, Lugano, Mantova, Milano, Monza, Paris, Roma, Spoleto, Siena, Tel Aviv, Trieste, Tokyo, Verona, Vigevano, Warszawa; the sequence Philobiblon is in Mantova, Baratta Public Library; the story La domenica, arabo in the Riello Collection, Legnago.
Available exhibitions
  • Winterreise, snow landscapes from the train (36 prints 39 x 49 cm).
  • Cambodia traces of horror (40 prints 40 x 50 cm).
  • Philobiblon (40 prints 30 x 40 cm).
  • Writers Portraits (see complete writers list, prints available on demand).
  • Malegambe / Fishnet stockings Plays (20 prints 40 x 50 cm two 70 x 100 cm).
  • Short Stories (Helpful Hands 15 prints; La domenica, arabo / Teaching Arab, 55 prints; Moira Orfei, a life for circus, 18 prints; La Pastora/The Shepherdess, 20 prints).
  • The Garden's Dream (40 prints 40 x 60 cm).
  • The Maharajah Folly (16 prints various size from 40 x 60 to 140 x 60 cm).
Workshop
  • Ritratti e racconti Verona, febbraio 2008, presso il centro di fotografia MiMA (www.mima.cc)
  • Il reportage sociale incontra il mercato editoriale per Fotografi senza frontiere, Milano, giugno 2010
Honourable mentions
  1. Reportage La Pastora at Memorial Giacomelli.
  2. Reportage Extrafesta at Portfolio, Savignano sul Rubicone.
Essays on Cottinelli's work
Giampiero Comolli, Andrea Cortellessa,Vincenzo Consolo, Claudio Marra, Alessandra Mauro, Ettore Mo, Roberto Mutti, Grazia Neri, Valerio Pellizzari, Silvio Perrella, Oreste Pivetta, Lalla Romano, Francesco Scarabicchi, Marco Vallora.