Ennio Calabria

Ennio Calabria (7 March 1937 – 1 March 2024) was an Italian painter and illustrator.

Life and career Born in Tripoli, Libya, at the time an Italian colony, at young age Calabria moved to Rome, where he graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. In 1963, he co-founded the group "Il pro e il contro" with some art critics and colleagues, notably Renzo Vespignani. In 1964, he exposed at the Venice Biennale, and between 1974 and 1978 he served as a member of its board of directors. Beyond painting, Calabria illustrated books and posters, notably the poster of Luca Ronconi's Orlando Furioso. He was also a portrait painter, and among his better known works were a series of portraits of Pope John Paul II he made between 2002 and 2005, He died in Rome on 1 March 2024, at the age of 86.