A passion for Venice becomes reality for an American writer and entrepreneur. JoAnn Locktov loves the Serenissima so much that she has founded an imprint, Bella Figura Publications, which only publishes photographic books about Venice.
The first one, Dream of Venice, has been published in 2014 and it’s a goldmine for lovers of the beautiful city, a stroll among the most unusual The photos are by Charles Christopher and every page is accompanied by words by people who have lived and loved the city on water. People by the likes of Peggy Guggenheim, writer Jane Turner Rylands, actor Linus Roache, architect Guido Pietropoli and director of ‘Don’t Look Now’ movie Nicholas Roeg, just to name a few.
All of them have been living in Venice for long periods or visited it frequently and have shared their passion.
The success of the first book has been immediate and JoAnn has published a second one, Dream of Venice Architecture, with photos by Riccardo De Cal and texts by people with a strong link with architecture and design. Among them Tadao Ando, who redesigned Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, architect Mario Botta and Massimiliano Fuksas, journalist Jonathan Glancey and many other.
in both cases, a portion of the proceeds from the books will be donated to Save Venice and Fondazione Querini Stampalia. The first one supports the restoration of works of art, the second one organised exhibitions and events on architecture.
