Franco Maria Ricci

Franco Maria Ricci (2 December 1937 – 10 September 2020) was an Italian art publisher and magazine editor. Amongst his publications is FMR, a Milan-based bi-monthly art magazine published in Italian, English, German, French, and Spanish for over 27 years. Ricci is known for having created limited editions honoring particular independent artists, which are characterized by their tinted handmade paper, and black silk-bound hardcovers with silver or gold lettering stamping. He sold his publishing house, Ricci Editore, to Marilena Ferrari in 2007 only to regain control in 2015.[1]

Franco Maria Ricci's office in his house in Imperia. Photography by Paolo Monti, 1981. Fondo Paolo Monti, BEIC

FMR magazine

The first issue of FMR was published in 1982.[2] FMR stood for the publisher's initials that once pronounced in French, it appeared to read éphémère (transitory). Praised by critics as "the most beautiful magazine in the world", it was a paragon for perfection, presenting noteworthy iconological and art historical studies without being pedantic. Known for its magnificent, large photographs, and exquisite drawings, faithfully reproduced on a black background, the magazine captured many high-profile admirers, including director Federico Fellini who used to call it the "black pearl"[3] and Jacqueline Kennedy, who defined it "the most beautiful magazine in the world".[4] In December 2002, after twenty years from the release of the first issue, Ricci sold the magazine to Marilena Ferrari's company Art'é to focus on his old ambition to build the largest maze in the world, "Labarinto della Masone", in Fontanellato.[5] In 2003 art critic and curator Flaminio Gualdoni replaced Ricci as editor of the magazine. In 2007 FMR was augmented by FMR White, a sister publication devoted to contemporary art. Over the years the two publications featured many notable contributors, including Alberto Arbasino, Peter Bloch, Jorge Luis Borges, Italo Calvino, Umberto Eco, Giovanni Mariotti, Octavio Paz, Nicola Spinosa, and Giovanni Testori. Both FMR and FMR White ceased publication in 2009. In 2015, after completing the seven-hectares wide maze also featuring an art museum and a library, Ricci bought back the copyrights of FMR with the potential intent to resume publication.

Other publications

Ricci is known for having published the original edition of the Codex Seraphinianus and some of Guido Crepax's books.

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-01-20. Retrieved 2015-01-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. FMR FINE ART PUBLISHING HOUSE Archived 2015-01-20 at the Wayback Machine
  3. https://www.ft.com/content/3cfd0d50-68ce-11e4-9eeb-00144feabdc0
  4. http://www.designculture.it/insight/fmr.html
  5. https://www.apartamentomagazine.com/stories/franco_maria_ricci/
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