ABOUT MAURO MARINELLI

Mauro Marinelli is an artist, photographer, general contractor, and former photojournalist whose work reflects a deep connection to his Italian heritage and an enduring passion for storytelling through images. Born and raised in White Plains, New York, to Italian immigrant parents, Marinelli earned a BFA in Photography and English from Manhattanville College in 1977.

His early influences came from his teachers, including Sean Kernan, Ralph Gibson, and Eva Rubenstein, whose work inspired him to approach photography as both an art form and a means of exploring his personal experience. In the late 1970s, Marinelli traveled across the United States to document the lives of the original  Italian immigrants, capturing their images before they faded from memory. This journey culminated in his first book, Old Timers: The Italians, published by St. Martin’s Press in 1979. That same year, he illustrated the young adult book Rock Fever by Ellen Rabinowich (Triumph Book, Franklin Watts, 1979).

Despite his early success, Marinelli found the demands of commercial photography unfulfilling. Seeking a deeper connection to his work and surroundings, he left New York City for upstate New York, where he began farming culinary herbs and built a successful general contracting business. Throughout this time, he remained committed to photography, continuing to create and exhibit his work.

Marinelli’s artistry has been showcased in two additional books published by Kehrer Verlag: The Burden of Wings (2014), a haunting collection of Polaroid images shot in cemeteries around the world, and Under Old Stars: Wanderings in Italian Hill Towns (2016), a deeply personal series of black-and-white photographs capturing the timeless beauty of Italy’s small towns.

Today, Marinelli’s photography remains a testament to his belief in the power of images to tell profound stories, and stir the pot of curiosity.