Augusto De Luca
© Augusto De Luca photo archives
Years have passed, but the memory of meeting Carla Fracci remains vivid. It was the early nineties, specifically 1991, when the book Napoli Donna had just been released, featuring my portraits of thirty-seven prominent Neapolitan women, accompanied by interviews with journalist Giuliana Gargiulo. The book was a notable success, prompting Giuliana and me to plan another project focused on Milanese women. Unfortunately, the book was never published. We created a list of notable names, with Carla Fracci at the top. By chance, less than a month later, the graceful dancer, along with her husband Beppe Menegatti, visited Giuliana in Naples. I first met her at a dinner at Giuliana’s house and proposed her participation in the project. She was immediately enthusiastic.
However, Fracci was only in Naples for a few days, so I needed to quickly find a suitable location and determine how to photograph her. I began researching and discovered her zodiac sign was Leo, fitting her strong and warrior-like personality perfectly. I remembered seeing a large stone lion at my friend Valeria Carità’s house, located in an antique palazzo in Monte di Dio. I swiftly arranged everything, and the next day, Fracci and I went to that magnificent house. She looked beautiful, delicate, and ethereal, like fine Chinese porcelain, wearing a lovely lace dress. After a few tests and shots, I captured the perfect photo and felt relieved.
We spent some time chatting, and then I accompanied her back. I saw her again in Milan at one of my photographic exhibitions at Diaframma in via Brera. I gave her the portrait, and she immediately exclaimed, „Beautiful! And the lion is my zodiac sign.“ I knew I had succeeded.
Augusto De Luca (born July 1, 1955, in Naples) is a photographer and performer who has portrayed many famous individuals. After completing classical studies and graduating in law, he became a professional photographer in the mid-1970s. De Luca dedicated himself to both traditional photography and experimentation with different photographic materials. His style is characterized by meticulous attention to composition and the minimal expressive elements of the framed subject. His work ranges from clear realism to abstract forms that echo metaphysical art. De Luca is internationally renowned, having exhibited in numerous galleries in Italy and abroad. His photographs are part of public and private collections, including the International Polaroid Collection (USA), the National Library of Paris, the Municipal Photographic Archive of Rome, the National Gallery of Aesthetic Arts of China (Beijing), and the Museum of Photography of Charleroi (Belgium).