Italian art critic, Gillo Dorfles, Died at 107

  Writer

Angelo Eugenio “Gillo” Dorfles was born on 12 April 1910 and died on 2 March 2018.

He was an Italian art critic, painter, and philosopher.

Dorfles turned 100 in April 2010.

After he retired from painting, he devoted himself to the study of aesthetics and art criticism, dealing with the problem of the vanguard, the relationship between art and industry, analyzing artistic phenomena, and tastes in the contemporary society.

His theory was that aesthetics should focus on culture as a whole, which combine elements of fantasy, symbolic, metaphorical and even mythical suggestions.

Among his major works, L’architettura moderna (1954), Kitsch (originally published in Italian in 1968 and translated in English the following year), La moda della moda (1984), Il feticcio quotidiano (1988), Horror plane. La (in)civiltà del rumore (2008).

But, not hindering him, Dorfles continued to hold personal exhibitions: in 1986 his works were displayed in Milan, in 1988 in Aosta, and in 1996 in Rome.

During 2010, for his 100th birthday celebrations, L’avanguardia trade took place at the Royal Palace of Milan.

Another exhibition was held in 2012 at the Milan Triennale, organized by Dorfles himself, entitled Dorfles. Kitsch – oggi il kitsch.

He published a new book (Poesie, Campanotto Editore, 2013) at 103 years old, that held unpublished poems written from 1941 to 1952.

During 2013 Dorfles was amongst the artists that designed the Tibetan pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale.

Dorfles died in Milan on 2 March 2018, six weeks before his 108th birthday.