12 Facts About Mirella Bentivoglio

Mirella Bentivoglio was an Italian sculptor, poet, performance artist and curator.

Mirella Bentivoglio participated in exhibitions all over the world, including the Venice Biennale and the Museum of Modern Art.

Mirella Bentivoglio was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, to Italian parents.

Mirella Bentivoglio's father, Ernesto Bertarelli, was a scientist and professor at the University of Pavia and an avid collector of books.

Mirella Bentivoglio started her career as a poet when she was very young.

Mirella Bentivoglio published her first collection of poems, Giardino, in 1943, but she waited until 1968 to publish her second poetry book.

Mirella Bentivoglio joined the visual poetry movement, that mix linguistic and iconic elements.

In 1976 Mirella Bentivoglio created another work for the Italian town of Gubbio, titled Poesia all'albero.

Mirella Bentivoglio then collected the papers and chose some among them to create a unique poem.

Mirella Bentivoglio was awarded the Silver Plate of the President of the Italian Republic in 2002.

All Mirella Bentivoglio's work is pervaded by a wry critique of Western societies, their patriarchal structures, obsession with material consumption, pollution of the environment and celebration of power over compassion.

At the time of her death, on 23 March 2017, Mirella Bentivoglio made her home and worked in Rome.