Overview

• Gardin died on August 6 in Genoa at the age of 94, as confirmed by his family.
• Over seven decades, he produced more than two million negatives, published over 260 books and held upwards of 360 solo exhibitions worldwide.
• His signature Leica-shot black-and-white images documented social issues—from the 1969 exposé Morire di classe on psychiatric hospitals to industrial landscapes and Venice’s lagoon defenses.
• His early collaboration with Franco Basaglia on Morire di classe helped fuel the cultural momentum leading to Italy’s 1978 psychiatric reform law.
• Tributes have poured in from cultural institutions and peers as Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia prepares to steward his archive and sustain his ethical approach to documentary photography.