Internationally recognized photographers of theatre and the arts, Silvia Lelli and Roberto Masotti joined forces to form Lelli e Masotti in 1979, when they began collaborating as official photographers of Teatro alla Scala – a position they held for 17 years.
Both born in Ravenna, they moved to Milan in 1974. Since then, they have explored the performing arts and in particular music, producing photographs presented in exhibitions, installations and publications. Their subjects include such renowned artists as Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis, Demetrio Stratos, Frank Zappa, Jan Garbarek, Franco Battiato, Arvo Pärt, John Cage, Pina Bausch, Tadeusz Kantor, Pier’Alli, Merce Cunningham, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Sylvano Bussotti, Maurizio Pollini, Kim Kashkashian, Placido Domingo, Carla Fracci, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Luciana Savignano, to name just a few.
Lelli e Masotti have developed an aptitude for the stage and have used video as a means of multidisciplinary expression on several occasions with works devoted to nature, the landscape and theaters of Italy, orchestra conductors, John Cage and the piano. Their vast archive is an inexhaustible source of images for the publishing and recording industries. Their works are featured in public and private collections. They had cooperations with numerous institutions and Festivals, including Teatro alla Scala, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Festival MITO/Milan, Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera, Ravenna Festival, the Salzburg Festival.
Their photographs have been exhibited in renonewed international venues Ara Art Center in Seoul, Korea; Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany; Venice Art Biennale; MCA Chicago; Fondazione Mudima in Milan, Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome.
In 2019, RSI Swiss Radio and Television produced a documentary about their career, directed by Roberta Pedrini and titled Doppio clic.