Modena-born master of colour photography was celebrated recently in a major Rome retrospective.Franco Fontana, the Italian photographer widely credited with pioneering the use of colour in art photography, died at his home in Modena on Saturday at the age of 92.Born on 9 December 1933 in Cognento, on the outskirts of Modena, Fontana took up photography as a hobby in the early 1960s while working as a decorator, before turning it into a full-time career. He went on to become one of the most influential photographers of the second half of the 20th century, developing a distinctive style built on flattened, geometric blocks of vivid colour that transformed landscapes and cityscapes into near-abstract compositions.   International recognition His 1978 monograph Skyline brought him international recognition, and in 1979 he was invited to exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Fontana held over 400 exhibitions and published around 70 books, with his photographs held in the collections of more than 50 museums worldwide. He also shot advertising campaigns for brands including Fiat, Volkswagen, Kodak and Versace, and contributed to publications such as Vogue and the Sunday supplements of major Italian newspapers. Rome restrospective Fontana's work was the subject of a major retrospective at Rome's Ara Pacis Museum last year, featuring 200 images spanning his career, including his celebrated views of Rome's Appian Way and the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, alongside American landscapes and cityscapes. Despite his international acclaim, Fontana remained deeply attached to his native city throughout his life. Tributes have poured in from Italian cultural and political figures, with Modena mayor Massimo Mezzetti mourning his death as part of "a true annus horribilis" for the city's cultural life, following the recent deaths of several other prominent Modenese figures. Photo: Ara Pacis Franco Fontana Ph. Monkeys Video Lab

Franco Fontana, the Italian photographer widely credited with pioneering the use of colour in art photography, died at his home in Modena on Saturday at the age of 92. Born on 9 December 1933 in Cognento, on the outskirts of Modena, Fontana took up photography as a hobby in the early 1960s while working as a decorator, before turning it into a full-time career. He went on to become one of the most influential photographers of the second half of the 20th century, developing a distinctive style built on flattened, geometric blocks of vivid colour that transformed landscapes and cityscapes into near-abstract compositions.   His 1978 monograph Skyline brought him international recognition, and in 1979 he was invited to exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Fontana held over 400 exhibitions and published around 70 books, with his photographs held in the collections of more than 50 museums worldwide. He also shot advertising campaigns for brands including Fiat, Volkswagen, Kodak and Versace, and contributed to publications such as Vogue and the Sunday supplements of major Italian newspapers. Fontana's work was the subject of  at Rome's Ara Pacis Museum last year, featuring 200 images spanning his career, including his celebrated views of Rome's Appian Way and the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, alongside American landscapes and cityscapes. Despite his international acclaim, Fontana remained deeply attached to his native city throughout his life. Tributes have poured in from Italian cultural and political figures, with Modena mayor Massimo Mezzetti mourning his death as part of "a true annus horribilis" for the city's cultural life, following the recent deaths of several other prominent Modenese figures. Photo: Ara Pacis Franco Fontana Ph. Monkeys Video Lab