Umberto Allemandi, the influential Italian publisher and founder of 'Il Giornale dell’Arte', has died at the age of 88. After early career stints in advertising with Armando Testa and directing 'Bolaffi Arte', Allemandi launched his own publishing house in 1982. His most significant contribution was the creation of a monthly publication designed with the rigor and layout of a daily newspaper, dedicated entirely to the art world and modeled after London’s 'The Times'.
Allemandi’s vision fundamentally changed art journalism by moving away from glossy, coffee-table aesthetics toward a serious, news-driven approach. His 'Il Giornale dell’Arte' became the flagship of an international network of art newspapers, including 'The Art Newspaper' in London and New York. By treating art with the same investigative and reportorial weight as politics or economics, he helped professionalize art market coverage and established a global standard for art industry reporting.