Pappi Corsicato's film on photographer Claudio Abate, which recounts the artistic ferment of Rome between the 1960s and 1990s, is now on RaiPlay

RaiPlay has released a new documentary film by Pappi Corsicato titled "Claudio Abate. L’obiettivo nell’arte" (2026), which pays tribute to the late photographer Claudio Abate (1943–2017). The film weaves together interviews, archival materials, and footage from Istituto Luce to chronicle Abate's life and work, focusing on his role documenting the vibrant Roman art scene from the 1960s through the 1990s. It highlights his collaborations with key figures such as Jannis Kounellis, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Fabio Sargentini, and the artists of the Pastificio Cerere school, capturing seminal performances, happenings, and installations that defined Arte Povera and other avant-garde movements.

The documentary matters because it positions Claudio Abate not merely as a passive observer but as an essential co-author and interpreter of contemporary art history. His photographs preserve ephemeral actions—like Kounellis's 12 horses or De Dominicis's Zodiac—that would otherwise be lost. By making the film freely available on RaiPlay, a wider audience can access this crucial visual record of Rome's artistic ferment, underscoring the enduring importance of photography in documenting and shaping the legacy of performance and conceptual art.