L’arte di David Hamilton

On May 31, the new Vecchiato gallery entirely dedicated to photography, Vecchiato Contemporary Photos, opened in Padua. Following the success of the historic Galleria Vecchiato and the recent Vecchiato New Art Galleries, which hosted major exhibitions such as “Made in China,” “Andy Warhol,” and “Jacques Villeglé,” the third gallery now focuses on photography. The small space, located behind the Verdi Theatre in the historic center of Padua, is entirely devoted to this expressive form and opened with a solo exhibition by the great David Hamilton, curated by Dominque Stella.
The exhibition offers a carefully selected overview of the renowned British photographer’s work, featuring over one hundred of his most important shots taken mainly in the 1970s and 1980s, up to the most recent from 2006: from female nudes to still lifes, from unforgettable photographs of Venice to tributes to the great painters, the works always convey a deep sense of nostalgia. In addition to his “girls in bloom,” Hamilton was an ardent admirer of painters such as Ingres, Delacroix, Courbet, and Degas. By capturing the image of things and people, he lends them an almost painterly quality, and his photographs thus become pictures paying homage to the great artists who preceded him.