The great photographer Mimmo Jodice lives with his beloved wife Angela in Posillipo (Naples) – one of the most fascinating areas of a city everyone falls in love with. June marks 60 years of living together, spent in creativity, knowledge, research and discovery of the world. Nothing needs to be said here about the quality and beauty of Jodice’s shots, telling reality in a both personal and universal way.

In a 1970s residential building, the photographer has divided two floors, below the work and above the house. On the front door, made of sugar paper-blue Formica, the name Mimmo Jodice is simply scotch-taped. “We have been living here since 1990. It is a small road that from the hill goes down to the sea, with little tuff walls and old villas from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Only the building we live in, and another one, were not built in that period. We do not directly access the studio from the house, since there are only six very quiet families in the building, we can easily move around”, he says. 

The studio is basically framed by a series of dressers and filing cabinets, with an amazing LC4 – Le Corbusier’s chaise longue in a pony skin version – in the centre, as well as the imposing French art deco table with its gold-painted legs, exchanged for an important piece by a friend. “We have several cupboards to store 50x60 printed works and 200 dressers, made by a craftsman, to perfectly store all the 20x30 and 30x40 works”, the couple states.

Art lovers, great experts of the Italian art scene and beyond. In their house, there are several pieces of contemporary art, including the red neon sign Red by Joseph Kosuth, the amazing work by Carlo Alfano or the Azzurro by Ettore Spalletti.

On the wall of the living room there is an “extraordinary four-handed work by Vito Acconci – an American artist who often visited Naples – and I. Lucio Amelio’s art gallery was in Piazza Dei Martiri, just a few steps away from our studio”, the photographer adds. From the bedroom a beautiful copper tree can be glimpsed in the bathroom, realised for us by the great designer and architect Riccardo Dalisi, who recently passed away. During his life, he closely worked with the poorest children of the Rione Traiano. Another great family friend. 

Wood prevails throughout the house with its long corridors. It was designed “by the architect Ermanno Guida, a dear friend of ours, a professor at the Department of Architecture in Naples and a designer.” In the entryway, there is a beautiful mosaic by Mimmo Paladino with gold inserts. When we decided to move, “we were so sorry to leave our old house, the one where our children had grown up, but because of my mother’s health, as well as the problems of moving and parking, we opted for this house, which made our life less stressful. So, Paladino created this beautiful mosaic to cheer us up. It has no name. It was simply for Angela and Mimmo. In fact, at the top, in addition to our intertwined names, there is the plan of the house too.”

The house with its several wooden bookcases is full of volumes, small statues and curious objects. “In the space leading from the entryway to the studio we find a pink sculpture, a ceramic woman’s body by Gianni Pisani. The black bowl is by Laura de Santillana. Downstairs, there is a white ceramic realised by sculptor Ambra Selvaggia Caminito, received as a prize. Looking to the right there is a small collection of Bakelite objects we were collectors of,” Angela and Mimmo state. Moreover, they are Art Nouveau enthusiasts; the clock in the bookcase “was given to us by our dear friend Giancarlo Cosenza, Luigi Cosenza’s son, because he knew we loved this style.” The living room is large and bright, with a couple of armchairs framing the sitting room, in the corner near the large window a sculpture of Angela appears. “It is in bronze by the great sculptor Augusto Perez, a kind man, a lover of poetry and music. He was a colleague of Mimmo’s at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, where Mimmo has taught for about 30 years”, his wife says. The house is actually “dotted with Angela” in various forms, not only sculptures but also impeccably framed photographs.

The couple’s complicity is palpable. Their house is made of travel memories, touchable memories and experiences. In the bathroom, a brightly coloured puppet smiles next to small, elegant glass containers. “We bought it at the Marché aux puces in Montreuil, Paris, when we were enjoying our few hours of leisure during our busy working days. The baby stood out pink and blond on a stall, and I immediately fell in love with it. I carried it in my arms all the way home and only later I found out that it was an advertisement for Cadum soap. The painting on the wall next to it is a work by Lucio del Pezzo dedicated to Mimmo and me. Actually, there are two. From here you cannot see the other one”.

The Jodices are in fact great admirers of France, “we have worked a lot both in Paris and throughout the country. We have very dear friends and great collectors of Mimmo’s creations. Among the dearest and most brilliant friends we must mention Jean Luc Monterosso, then Director of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. Jean Luc and the director of the Hotel Lutetia had the idea of dedicating the five luxurious suites at the corner of the two facades of the Hotel to five artists from each continent. The Europa Suite was dedicated to Mimmo, where Mimmo’s works were displayed in the entrance hall, study room and bedroom”, Angela says. Hence the plaque.

I must add that the human stature of this couple is impressive. It is a life spent together in the name of love, respect, collaboration and harmony, even in the most difficult situations; Mimmo Jodice, 88 years old, which can all be seen in his “kind” eyes, Angela Jodice a life of splendour. Rather than the couple’s house, we should talk about their story, the story of a gentleman from another time who one day meets, at the door of the Salani publishing house, a kind young lady who lived with his mother, and falls in love with her. After more than half a century together, Angela comments: “Mimmo is handsome and kind. Just like the first day”. 

Opening image: Mimmo Jodice. Photo Daniele Ratti