Il Venditore di Colori

The "Ditta Poggi" shop is located in Via Del Gesù, near the Pantheon in Rome. Originally it was a shop where they sold not only paints, but also combs, hair lotions, perfumes, raisins, and cinnamon. Over time, the activities of the company shifted to focus on the paints. For many years, the management of the paint shop has been entrusted to Doemnico Mancini, called Memmo, the craft-man who Mimmo Paladino called an "alchemical traveler". Memmo started working the shop in 1962, when he was eighteen, as a sample laborer. But, in a short time, he became the preferred contact point for all customers. His clientele included many great artists like Balthus, Renato Guttuso, Jim Dine, Cy Twombly, Mario Schifano , as well as younger artists, like the painters of the "Transvanguardia", Sandro Chia, Enzo Cucchi and Mimmo Paladino.