Benevento has lost one of its most devoted interpreters. Local outlet NTR24 has reported the death of Antonio Mastronunzio Fallarino, the Benevento-born painter and sculptor whose work returned again and again to his home city and the surrounding Sannio.
Mastronunzio was born in Benevento on 29 February 1956. He studied at Benevento's Liceo Artistico and then at the Academies of Fine Arts in Florence and Naples. His biography also notes the influence of the Italian Quattrocento masters on his formation.
His practice spanned painting, drawing and sculpture. Benevento and the Sannio were central subjects, and NTR24's tribute describes a career in which the city itself became his canvas.
Exhibitions across Italy and beyond
Mastronunzio began exhibiting in 1975, according to his artist biography. Exhibition venues included Benevento, Florence, Naples, Turin, Bologna, Caserta, Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta and Bielefeld.
One notable milestone came in 1995, when Cà La Ghironda hosted a permanent display of 90 of his sculptures in Lecce stone and bronze.
In 1994, Mario Martone made the short documentary Antonio Mastronunzio pittore sannita, a further sign of the wider attention his Sannio-rooted work attracted.
Works left to Benevento
Several works attributed to Mastronunzio were donated to Benevento institutions and public places. They include a stone Totem at the Museo del Sannio and Le Streghe at the Musa.
His studio was located at Giardini Mastronunzio in contrada Santa Clementina, Benevento.
Where to look for his work in Benevento
Visitors interested in Mastronunzio's legacy have two practical starting points named in the reporting: the Museo del Sannio, associated with the stone Totem, and the Musa, associated with Le Streghe.
Because the sources do not provide a current room-by-room catalogue, check with each institution before visiting to confirm whether the individual works are currently on display, in storage or on loan.
Understanding his place in the city
Mastronunzio's path — training in Benevento, Florence and Naples, then exhibiting widely while keeping Benevento and the Sannio at the centre — helps explain why local coverage frames him as a city artist rather than simply an artist from the city.
His donations to museums and public places, rather than only private sales and temporary exhibitions, also left a visible trace for residents and visitors. For readers encountering his name for the first time, those public works are the most direct way to see how he translated local subjects into painting, drawing and sculpture.
The exact date and cause of death were not stated in the sources consulted, and current access arrangements for the studio and donated works were not established. What is clear from the record is the continuity of the bond: born in Benevento, trained there and elsewhere, and still giving work back to the city's public collections.
