FACE TO FACE WITH

Laura Casalis Ricci

Publishing and Art Director of the Exclusive New Revue ‘FMR’

You have been Franco Maria Ricci’s irreplaceable long life companion and beloved wingmate. Your creativity and stubbornness are all reflected through the pages of his works of genius and major projects. I would say that there is much of your life, I can see a lot of you in The Labyrinth. Could you tell us the way things have developed in the last two years?

I must say, spending my entire life with Franco, there was never a dull moment - he was fun, never banal, never predictable. Living together, being his wife and even cooperating together had its ups and downs… but I can’t tell you how exciting and amazing it was. By the way, I started working with him because I got tired of playing a waiting game - he was always burning the midnight oil. I would go up to his publishing house, and I would wait for him for hours and hours until he finished his work. Well, at some point I tried to fill those empty moments, thus, I suggested that he let me deal with some project, so I slowly gave up my studio as a graphic designer of textiles and I jumped from one job to another one, from working with textiles to working with paper - without any regret. Beyond my academic background, that had little to do with publishing, being close to him, hanging out with amazing and extraordinary personalities from the world of art and culture, taking part in the conception of the books and of FMR revue was a great school to me and it managed to open my eyes to the Beauty with a Capital letter. But Franco, who used to live on dreams - almost all fulfilled - had that last one will to regain his brand, which had dumped it long years before, in order to revive his beloved revue, his masterpiece. After Franco had left us in September 2020, I succeeded in regaining

Cosa c’è di nuovo in questa FMR e cosa mantiene la rivista legata ai 163 numeri che l’hanno preceduta?

Tante cose si sono modificate negli anni nei quali non abbiamo pubblicato FMR. Franco l’aveva fondata nel 1982 e venduta nel 2003 insieme alla casa editrice, per finanziare il suo geniale e grandioso progetto del Labirinto più grande del mondo nella sua proprietà nei pressi di Parma. Sono passati quasi vent’anni, il mondo è cambiato, nel bene e nel male. Oggi, per pubblicare una rivista di carta, di grande qualità, le difficoltà non sono poche ma, allo stesso tempo, ci sono strumenti che semplificano enormemente il lavoro; la redazione della rivista è profondamente mutata: faccio quasi da sola molte cose che in passato richiedevano l’impegno di diverse persone, e posso contare su collaboratori molto bravi, chi per la letteratura, chi per la storia dell’arte, chi per la ricerca di curiosità e bizzarrie, e ho la grande fortuna di poter contare su penne colte e brillanti. Il progetto è ormai ben chiaro: ci muoviamo in continuità con il passato, confermando quei caratteri che hanno reso unica FMR: l’eleganza del nero; l’estrema cura dal punto di vista della qualità estetica e dei contenuti; la ricerca di argomenti di nicchia, inediti o che la gente ha dimenticato e la combinazione di testi importanti di storici, studiosi, con testi letterari.

Oggi cerchiamo di individuare temi affascinanti per un pubblico più giovane. Io sono più vicina ai fenomeni d’arte contemporanea di quanto non lo fosse Franco, che del XX secolo prendeva in considerazione quasi solo la prima metà. Non dico che mi dedicherò con passione alle avanguardie, ma ci sono fenomeni di oggi che mi affascinano. Certo la nostra è una rivista costosa e quindi forse non proprio per un pubblico giovanissimo, ma in questi mesi dall’uscita del primo numero nel marzo 2022 abbiamo visto che tra gli abbonati, oltre ai nostri lettori affezionati, ce ne sono parecchi sotto i quarant’anni. È incoraggiante perché queste generazioni non sono più abituate a comprare la carta né tantomeno a fare abbonamenti. Ma FMR è percepita come una rivista da collezione e sono in tanti ownership of the three letters that featured his logo. Then, all that remained was to fulfil the promise given him - to revive FMR revue, and ensure that it was still the most beautiful revue in the world. Today, we are introducing you to the third issue (the launch in Venice, on the autumn equinox day) and we are already working on the fourth one. It’s a great big challenge. Franco is unique, singular and inimitable, but, I got to say: “after more than forty years, working shoulder-to-shoulder with him, I have learned a lot”.

So, Mrs Ricci, what lies behind this new FMR? What’s new? And, what is the fil rouge that ties and links this revue to its other previous 163 issues?

Much has changed here, in the nearly two decades in which we haven’t published FMR. Franco had founded his revue in 1982 and sold it in 2003 along with his publishing house to finance his brilliant and grand idea of Labirinto della Masone. He knew in the depths of his heart that it wasn’t a permanent goodbye. In the meantime, the world has changed for better and for worse. Challenges are there, there are many obstacles to overcome, but then again, there are new modern devices that greatly simplify our work. Hence, today, the editors of our revue have taken a radical turn. I can manage myself plenty of things that, in the past, required the efforts of a number of people, but I have very good collaborators who support and aid me, alongside with the backing of important intellectuals: some specialised in literature, some in art history, there is also those who deal with more curious things or even are capable of creating a more sophisticated language. The project is well clear and defined, by now. We move in continuity with the past, confirming those trait things that made FMR unique: the elegance of black, the extreme and meticulous care in terms of aesthetic quality and content, the research of niche subjects - the unpublished ones, or those that people have forgotten, along with the combination with important essays, texts of historians and academics, and even those literary ones. Today, we are seeking to identify fascinating themes for a younger audience. I feel closer to the contemporary art phenomena than Franco was, who reached back to the early 20th century and no further. I’m not saying I will deeply dedicate myself to the Avant-Garde, but there are current phenomena, today, that I am fascinated by. Yes, of course, ours is an expensive revue and therefore is not directed perhaps to a not-so-young audience, even though in these months since the release of the first issue in March 2022, we have seen that, among the subscribers, apart from our loyal readers there are quite a few young people. It’s incredibly encouraging, considering that these generations are not used to buying paper anymore, let alone subscribing for a revue. Anyway, FMR is perceived as a collectible a volerla. Fondamentale è essere agili e graffianti con la promozione per rafforzare l’audience, anche se di nicchia, in Italia e all’estero. Per il momento la rivista è pubblicata in italiano e in inglese e stiamo lavorando per trovare nuove soluzioni distributive per il Nord America, ma potrebbe esserci in futuro anche una coedizione per un’edizione francese, essendo la Francia sempre stata molto affezionata a Franco Maria Ricci. journal and there are a lot of people wanting it. I believe that the issue of business promotion is really crucial, today, not only in Italy but also abroad. We have to be agile and incisive. At the moment, the revue is published in Italian and English and we are working to find new distribution solutions for North America, but in the immediate future of our revue, there might be even a French coedition, being French a country very fond of Franco Maria Ricci.

Come si svolge il lavoro di redazione e quali nomi compaiono in questa nuova FMR?

Non cambia tanto rispetto al passato, se non che ora facciamo le riunioni via Web perché ognuno è in una città diversa. Si discute del numero da mettere in cantiere e si anticipano i temi per i successivi. Cerchiamo di proporre sempre qualcosa di inaspettato e articoli in dialogo fra di loro. Ci piace mettere a confronto Oriente e Occidente, con viaggi virtuali fra civiltà lontane nel tempo e nello spazio.

Oggi io mi occupo del lavoro di scouting insieme con ottimi collaboratori. Il pubblico, ora più che mai, ha talmente tanto sotto gli occhi che è contento se gli fai vedere qualcosa fuori dagli schemi, pur senza esagerare e mantenendo altissima la qualità della proposta. Abbiamo stretto amicizia con scrittori come Orhan Pamuk, conosciuto grazie a Stefano Salis, altro prezioso collaboratore della rivista, o Abad Faciolince, o Dacia Maraini, o Benedetta Craveri. E poi ci sono gli amici di lunga data, immancabili la penna di Vittorio Sgarbi, di Giovanni Mariotti, Giorgio Antei e Gabriele Reina, e le foto di Massimo Listri, Guido Mocafico, Rafael Vargas, Giovanni Ricci Novara, Luciano Romano, per nominarne solo alcuni.

Quattro numeri in giorni speciali dell’anno. Perché questa scelta?

L’idea delle stagioni è nata… perché più di quattro numeri all’anno non potevo farne! Poi, se vogliamo, dietro agli equinozi e ai solstizi possiamo trovare grandi simbolismi di rinascita. Certamente quello che credo e che vogliamo comunicare è che l’arte e la bellezza rappresentano un’ancora alla quale affidarsi, specie di questi tempi. Quanto raccontato da FMR ricorda a noi italiani in particolare quanto eravamo bravi, ci ricorda che siamo un’eccellenza nel mondo e che possiamo tornare ad esserlo. Questa rivista vuole essere qualcosa di più di un buon coffee table book: si propone come un momento di riflessione profonda, capace di scatenare una connessione col grande passato. Dobbiamo occuparci ogni giorno di temi seri, ma abbiamo bisogno di momenti di leggerezza (che non è certo superficialità). Momenti nei quali immergerci nella bellezza e riceverne stimoli e benefiche suggestioni.

How is the publishing work carried out in practice? And what are the major names of this new FMR?

As concerns the new FMR, I have to say that it is arranged in the same way as the previous edition, except that now the meetings shall be held via Web, given that each one of us is living in a different city. We discuss issues to put in the pipeline and we anticipate the topics of the future ones. We are always trying to suggest something out of the blue and interacting with each other. We like to compare West with East, through virtual voyages among distant civilizations in place and time. Today, my excellent collaborators and I deal with scouting work. In my opinion, nowadays, the audience has so many things before their eyes, that if you show them something out-of-thebox, indeed without overdoing it while preserving the high quality of the offer, they are glad and pleased. We established friendship with the likes of Benedetta Craveri and above all Orhan Pamuk, whom I was introduced to by Stefano Salis, another exceptional collaborator of mine, at the revue, not to mention my long-time friends - the unmissable creations to spring forth from the pen of Vittorio Sgarbi, Massimo Listri with his photos, and even Giovanni Mariotti, Giorgio Antei and Gabriele Reina, not to mention the photographers Guido Mocafico, Rafael Vargas, Giovanni Ricci Novara among the many.

What about your choice to publish the four issues on very special days of the year?

Honestly, now that you mention it… the choice of the season came from the state of affairs, I mean - I couldn’t publish more than four issues per year! And then, if we want, behind equinoxes and solstices could lie a great symbolism of rebirth. Well, we want to convey that art and beauty represent an anchor of salvation, something to rely on, especially in these times, which is even what I myself believe. FMR is that kind of revue that reminds us Italians, in particular, how talented and great we were. It reminds us that we are an excellence in the world and we can get back to that. Reading this revue is meant to be more than a good “coffee-table book” - It offers itself as an opportunity for some profound reflections, it makes it possible to trigger a connection with the past. Everyday, we have to address difficult and heavy subjects, yet we also need moments of levity - it’s not about shallowness - through which we can immerse ourselves in beauty, encouraging us and helping us to improve.