Benedetta Barzini
Encyclopedia
Benedetta Barzini is an Italian actress and model, daughter of Italian journalist and author Luigi Barzini, Jr.
and his second wife, heiress Paola Gadola Feltrinelli. As such she is the stepsister of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli
, an Italian publisher and left-wing political activist.
She was a model from 1963-1969 and established a successful fashion career in New York City
. In December 1966, she was named one of the "100 Great Beauties of the World" by the American fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar
. That same year, Barzini became involved with, and later engaged to, New York poet and media artist Gerard Malanga
, an early collaborator of Andy Warhol
. Malanga's black-and-white film In Search of the Miraculous (1967) is an emotional, vivid poem of adoration for Barzini.
She was clearly headed for the top rank of New York models, but decided to return to Italy to act. She met Italian film director Roberto Faenza
, and they married in 1969. On the night she gave birth to twins Nini and Giacomo, Faenza left her. She had two children with another man later.
In 1973 she left the modeling business to become a Marxist and radical feminist organizer in her hometown of Milan. She joined the Italian Communist Party
.
As of 2008, she is teaching in Milan
.
Luigi Barzini, Jr.
Luigi Barzini Jr. was an Italian journalist, writer and politician most famous for his 1964 book The Italians, delving deeply into the Italian national character and introducing many Anglo-Saxon readers to Italian life and culture.-Early life:Barzini junior was born in Milan, Lombardy, the son of...
and his second wife, heiress Paola Gadola Feltrinelli. As such she is the stepsister of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli
Giangiacomo Feltrinelli
Giangiacomo Feltrinelli was an Italian publisher and left-wing political activist. He founded the publishing house Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore in 1954. He was also a communist and founded the GAP militant grouping in 1970...
, an Italian publisher and left-wing political activist.
She was a model from 1963-1969 and established a successful fashion career in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In December 1966, she was named one of the "100 Great Beauties of the World" by the American fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
. That same year, Barzini became involved with, and later engaged to, New York poet and media artist Gerard Malanga
Gerard Malanga
Gerard Joseph Malanga is an American poet, photographer, filmmaker, curator and archivist.-Early life:Born in the Bronx, New York, Malanga graduated from the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan and attended Wagner College on Staten Island...
, an early collaborator of Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
. Malanga's black-and-white film In Search of the Miraculous (1967) is an emotional, vivid poem of adoration for Barzini.
She was clearly headed for the top rank of New York models, but decided to return to Italy to act. She met Italian film director Roberto Faenza
Roberto Faenza
Roberto Faenza is an Italian film director.Born in Turin in 1943, Roberto Faenza received a degree in Political Science and a diploma at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia....
, and they married in 1969. On the night she gave birth to twins Nini and Giacomo, Faenza left her. She had two children with another man later.
In 1973 she left the modeling business to become a Marxist and radical feminist organizer in her hometown of Milan. She joined the Italian Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
.
As of 2008, she is teaching in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.