Mauro Balletti (born 4 September 1952) is an Italian photographer, painter and graphic designer.

Mina

Belletti is particularly known for his work with Italian singer Mina. Mina met Belletti during the filming of a commercial for Tassoni, and knowing that he was an artist, she invited him to take some photos, thereby discovering a new talent in him. A few months later, in 1973, Mina's albums ''

Frutta e verdura ''Frutta e verdura'' is a studio album by Italian singer Mina, released in October 1973 by PDU and originally distributed by EMI Italiana as a double album along with '' Amanti di valore''. This pair of albums spent eight consecutive weeks at t ...

''/'' Amanti di valore'', the author of the covers of which was Balletti. Some of Mina's album covers by his authorship have gained great fame (some of them are the result of collaboration with Gianni Ronco). In particular, the album cover of Attila was recognized as the best cover of the year and exhibited at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in New York; while the album cover of '' Salomè'' (1981) with a "bearded" Mina, or ''

Rane supreme ''Rane supreme'' is a studio album by Italian singer Mina (Italian singer), Mina, released on 17 October 1987 by PDU (record label), PDU and distributed by EMI Italiana. Overview On the first volume of the album, Mina presents her interpretations ...

'', where Mina's face is photoshopped to the body of a bodybuilder, caused a lot of controversy. Balletti also actively used computer technology to create the covers. In 1992, he was the first to create a cover with a digital image, using a

Mac computer Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadia ...

. In the same year, he received the Italian Advertisers Award for the best image/packaging of the year ('' Sorelle Lumière'' album cover). In 2016, Gianluigi Attorre and Katerina Mollica's special program ''Tra le immagini di Mina – L'arte di Mauro Balletti'', dedicated to Balletti, was broadcast on

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

. At the 2018

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...

, Mina "appeared" as an

avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

, a three-dimensional hologram previously featured on the cover of Gianni Ronco's ''

Piccolino ''Piccolino'' is a studio album by Italian singer Mina (Italian singer), Mina. It was released by PDU (record label), PDU and Sony Music on 22 November 2011. There are two versions of the album, the "standard edition" with 10 tracks, and the "del ...

'' (2011), which was also created by Balletti. In 2025, Mina released a music video "Senza farsi male", dedicated to Balletti, which also captures the artist's creative process. ''

Vogue Italia ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of '' Vogue'' magazine owned by Condé Nast International. In publication since 1964, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. The publication is currently edited by Francesca Ragazzi and ...

'' magazine stated that Balleti is "the only authorized emissary, the singular spokesman (although they are images) of a beloved national icon who for decades has been hiding in some far corner of the galaxy", created "richest and most transgressive series of album covers in the history of music".

Other works

Balletti continued to pursue professional photography. His first solo exhibition was held in 1978 at the Galleria D'arte Treves; another solo exhibition in 1980 at the Galleria L'Isola on Via Solferino in Milan. In the following years, Balletti will hold many more solo exhibitions both in Italy and abroad. In the 1980s, he began collaborating as a photographer with some fashion magazines, and since then he has also been directly involved in advertising. Since the 1990s, he began making commercials, music videos, and short films, and supervised the production of television programs. His first short film, Strong Seat Belts, starring Benedetta Mazzini and Massimo Popolizio, entered the Venice Film Festival in 1996 and was selected to participate in the British Short Film Festival in 1997.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balletti, Mauro 1952 births Living people Photographers from Milan 20th-century Italian photographers 21st-century Italian photographers Italian graphic designers 20th-century Italian painters 21st-century Italian painters Mina (Italian singer)