Luca Beatrice, Chair of Rome Quadriennale, Dies at 63

Rome: Luca Beatrice, a noted Turin-born art critic and essayist who was this year’s president of Rome’s famed modern-art Quadriennale, died in a Turin hospital Tuesday after collapsing with a suspected heart attack at the weekend. He was 63.

According to Ansa News Agency, Beatrice graduated in History of Cinema at the Faculty of Letters in Turin and obtained a specialization diploma in History of Art at the University of Siena. He curated important art exhibitions throughout Europe and was the curator of the Prague Biennale from 2003 to 2005.

In 2009, Beatrice served as the curator of the Italian Pavilion for the 53rd Venice Art Biennale. From 2010 to 2018, he was the president of the Circolo dei Lettori in Turin. This year, he was the president of the Quadriennale 2025, the main periodic exhibition dedicated to contemporary Italian art, scheduled from October 2025 to January 2026 with the title Fantastica.

His brother Giulio expressed his sorrow on Facebook, stating: “Two brothers are not two friends. They are branches of the same tree that can diverge over the years… but their bond will be eternal. Bye Luca, have a good trip.” Angelo Mellone, director of Rai State broadcaster’s day-time production, also shared his grief: “My friend, my brother, I have no words. I really have no words. You left us like that, suddenly, like a naughty boy, like a biker who doesn’t want to waste time with pleasantries.”