Sara Tongiani

Claudio Bertieri

Introduction

Claudio bertieri. Explore Claudio Bertieri's archive, a treasure of film, comics, and art memorabilia. Discover socio-cultural insights through his collection, especially on stars Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren.

Abstract

Claudio Bertieri’s archive and collections reflect the sedimentation of the critic’s daily work and research process, preserving objects and memorabilia simultaneously. As an intellectual, film critic, festivals and cultural promoter, comics and graphic art collector, Bertieri has collected magazines, drawings, photos, brochures, posters, and ephemeral materials related to cinema and film production. The different elements show the development of socio-cultural practices connected to cinema, comics, and art. This personal archive is maintained at the Mario Novaro Foundation in Genoa, and among the images and pictures, especially those relating to two actresses, Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren, are particularly relevant. Since their debuts, Lollobrigida and Loren’s bodies, beauty, and careers were interpreted as similar, while their images consolidated the stars’ cinematic imagery. Bertieri focuses on the paratextual materials, composing the narration of their star identities. This paper emphasizes the characteristics of Bertieri’s archive and collections through the Loren and Lollobrigida’s case studies.

Review

The paper "Claudio Bertieri" offers a fascinating premise for exploring the intersection of personal collecting, critical practice, and cultural memory. It proposes to delve into the extensive archive and collections of Claudio Bertieri, a multifaceted Italian intellectual renowned as a film critic, cultural promoter, and collector of comics and graphic art. Housed at the Mario Novaro Foundation in Genoa, this archive is presented as a rich repository of magazines, drawings, photos, brochures, posters, and various ephemeral materials, all reflecting the sedimentation of Bertieri’s daily work and research processes. The abstract effectively highlights the potential of this collection to illuminate the development of socio-cultural practices linked to cinema, comics, and art more broadly. A key strength of the proposed paper lies in its specific methodological approach, focusing on illuminating the archive's characteristics through compelling case studies. The research zeroes in on the significant presence of materials related to two iconic Italian actresses, Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren. The paper intends to examine how, despite initial interpretations of their bodies, beauty, and careers as similar, their images ultimately consolidated distinct cinematic star imagery. Crucially, the analysis will emphasize Bertieri's specific focus on paratextual materials—the accompanying elements that frame and contextualize a work—in constructing and narrating these star identities, offering a refined lens through which to understand celebrity culture. In conclusion, this paper promises to be a valuable contribution to the fields of film studies, archival research, and cultural history. By meticulously exploring a singular, comprehensive personal archive, and by applying a focused analysis through the lens of two pivotal star figures and their paratextual representation, the research is poised to offer unique insights into the construction of cinematic imagery and the dynamics of celebrity in Italian culture. The emphasis on Bertieri's own critical engagement as reflected in his collections suggests a rich narrative that will undoubtedly enhance our understanding of how cultural practices are shaped, preserved, and interpreted.

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