Burri e Pistoia

CS: Burri dabbled in photography and was enthusiastic about all the new
pieces of photographic equipment that came out: he gave me the first electronic
Nikkormat, which he’d bought in the United States. It wasn’t on sale yet in
Italy. With that camera, which did almost everything by itself, I entered some
photos in a competition and came third, to Burri’s great satisfaction. So am I
right in imagining that the main thing you talked about during your meetings
was photography?
AA: We talked about photography when we met, but about soccer too,
which he was crazy about, as you know!
CS: When Perugia was in Serie A and playing “at home,” Alberto Bacchi and
I used to take him to the house of Tito Fortuni [a specialist in pulmonology
who had always treated Burri, editor’s note]. The artist and the professor
went to the stadium, while we stayed with his two sons, Pinuccio and Giacomo.
The friendship between Burri, Tito and my father went right back to their youth
and has continued between us children. Later Burri named Pinuccio and my
brother Tiziano as executors of his will.
But let’s get back to your conversations...
AA: We used to talk about politics, and you know that he was always
very heated on the subject, even if it all ended in laughter. This happened
during our first meetings. Then came a lot of things said in confidence,
which have to remain that way.
From the time we first met, I always received a postcard from Los
Angeles [where Burri went every year in the winter months, editor’s
note]. I’ve put them all together in a single panel that I’ve hung on the
wall at home. It keeps me company and the memory alive.
On the subject of our correspondence, when I wrote to him all I put as
the address was: Alberto Burri, Città di Castello. Once he said to me:
“Now I’m going to try, I want to see if you are famous. I’m going to
write just: Amendola, Pistoia. Let’s see if they arrive!” They did!
CS: Burri invited us all to Los Angeles. Nemo and Tiziano in 1982, on the
scita autostradale di Arezzo, dove io vi aspettavo:
fu la prima volta che ti incontrai!
AA: Furono dieci giorni meravigliosi. Burri
aveva organizzato un volo per portarsi tutti
gli amici più vicini: c’erano anche la “nipote”
prediletta Anita Bucchi [figlia di Annibale
Bucchi, cugino della madre di Burri,
n.d.r.] tuo padre, Jack scintilla con la moglie.
Eravamo in trentacinque, tutti ospiti suoi
e tutti nello stesso albergo. Il Maestro era
speciale, il meglio non solo artisticamente,
ma anche dal punto di vista umano. Ci lasciava
solo quando aveva impegni personali
che riguardavano specifici aspetti lavorativi
che viveva comunque sempre come una
scocciatura, anche perché doveva mettersi
la cravatta! Ci fece apprezzare la maggior
parte dei Musei di New York. Durante una
di queste visite, con tuo padre e Jack scintilla,
ci divertimmo molto. Io ero il più giovane
e tu sai che sono un casinista. Si cominciò
a guardare i quadri dicendo: “Bellissima
quest’opera, starebbe bene in casa mia!” Ci
avvicinammo, forse un po’ troppo, facendo
finta di prendere le misure. La vigilante della
sala fece intervenire la sicurezza e, mentre
noi tutti ci schiantavamo dalle risate, Burri
dovette spiegare chi fosse, che noi eravamo
suoi amici e non dei ladri potenziali, poi ci
disse: “Ecco, con il mio inglese-castellano
[dialetto di Città di Castello, n.d.r.] vi ho tolto
dai pasticci”.
Il giorno dell’inaugurazione della mostra fu
In alto, Nemo Sarteanesi e
Alberto Burri, New York,
1978; in basso, Alberto Burri
e Aurelio Amendola, New
York, 1978
Above, Nemo Sarteanesi and
Alberto Burri, New York,
1978; bottom, Alberto Burri
and Aurelio Amendola, New
York, 1978
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