Marcello Geppetti was one of the most important photographers of the classic paparazzi era.
He was born in Rieti in 1933. He started out as a news photographer with the Giuliani & Rocca agency, before joining the Meldoni-Canestrelli-Bozer photojournalism agency in 1959. It was here that he first captured startling moments in the private lives of celebrities.Geppetti became known for his signature stolen aesthetic. His photographs are known to have a brilliant, raw quality as though struck by a sudden revelation. Geppetti's work is also of momentous documentary value and his photographs have been published in Time, Life, and Vogue.
The iconic era of the dolce vita saw him snap the kiss that blew the whistle on Liz Taylor's and Richard Burton's affair; Anita Ekberg's famous assault of the paparazzi with bow and arrow; and the first stolen shot of a naked Brigitte Bardot. He took his last photo on 27 February, 1998 leaving a legacy of photographs, many unpublished.