Numeri Malefici (Evil Numbers): Homage to Fabio Mauri

Abstract

From his early youth Mauri was in close contact with writers and intellectuals with whom he shared ties of friendship and collaboration. His early years were marked by events of the war and Fascism, which he experienced in part through psychic crises, religious experiences and an intense social commitment. In the three decades 1944–1974 he worked for the publisher Bompiani, directing its Roman headquarters from 1958. He was one of the founders of the magazine Quindici (1967), along with Umberto Eco, Edoardo Sanguineti and others, and of the magazine for art and criticism called La città di Riga (1976). Availing himself of media that went from writing to sculpture, from installations to performance, he addressed the theme of communication and its manipulation in terms that were sociological and ideological. Here is a look at some of his best known works, finally arriving to the installation entitled I numeri malefici (Evil Numbers).