Ampleforth Connections

By Stephan Sweerts-Sporck, Parent

When preparing for his Art GCSE last summer, Hieronymus (Ron) Sweerts-Sporck (C), found a small book in the Ampleforth library on the iconic Italian photographer Francesco Pignatelli, whose “Reversed Cities” work inspired Ron for his Art project (for which he won the Gaynor Photography Cup 2022). Later that summer, visiting his friend from Ampleforth, Antoni Dzida, in Staniszow, Poland (a lovely place coincidentally just on the other side of the Giant Mountains from Ron’s family summer home in Eastern Bohemia), it turned out that the Pignatelli family from Milan had just left. Antoni’s father, Waclaw, and Francesco Pignatelli have been friends for more than thirty years since they first met as students in England. The happy conclusion to this story came in October when Ron met his photographer hero at his Milan studio where they discussed their artwork and Francesco praised Ron’s prizewinning Project.

Ron with Francesco Pignatelli in his workshop in Milano recently