Who was Letizia Battaglia, great photographer
She died after dedicating the shots of her life to social issues, the fight against the mafia and women
The great photographer Letizia Battaglia died at the age of 87, after having dedicated the photos of a lifetime to commitment, to the fight against the mafia, to massacres, to women. Very close to Palermo and Sicily, the photojournalist recounted La Cosa Nostra war working for the newspaper “L’Ora”, collaborated with the major world news agencies and was awarded prestigious awards.
In 50 years of photography he has immortalized ordinary people, children, streets, public figures, important facts, always strictly in black and white, creating iconic, unique and unmistakable frames.
TWO PHOTOS
Her shot that has marked the history of Italy and photography is that of the president of the Sicily Region Piersanti Mattarella, killed by the mafia on January 6, 1980 and rescued by her brother Sergio, now president of the republic: she was among the first to arrive at the murder scene and snapped out of his car window.
Another famous photograph of hers is the one known as “The girl with the ball” from 1980: 38 years later, in 2018, the photojournalist and that woman met again after the appeal to the show “Who has seen it?”.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
A few hours ago the mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando gave the sad announcement:
“Palermo loses an extraordinary woman, a point of reference. Letizia Battaglia was an internationally recognized symbol in the world of art, a flag in the path of liberation of the city of Palermo from the government of the mafia. In this moment of profound pain and despair I express all my closeness to his family “.
Among the latest appearances of the photographer, I remember the recent interview by Rainews24 on the images of the war in Ukraine and then the photos of Ariete, a young singer-songwriter from Rome, a new point of reference for young people and women.
THE ILLNESS
The Ansa news agency reported:
“She passed away a few days before her restless story, interpreted by Isabella Ragonese and told in a fiction by Roberto Andò, was broadcast by Rai. Letizia Battaglia fought against illness and physical suffering to the last. She had never stopped so long that last week she had attended a photography workshop in Orvieto. And he also prepared other trips abroad to respond to the many invitations he still received from all over the world “.
Anyone who wants can already address a final greeting at Palazzo delle Aquile in Palermo.
