Painter and feminist was leading avant-garde figure in Rome

The Italian abstract artist Carla Accardi, who achieved fame in the post-war years, died in Rome on 23 February, aged 89. 

Originally from Trapani in Sicily, Accardi moved to Rome in 1946 and quickly became a leading figure in the city's avant-garde circles.

Together with her husband Antonio Sanfilippo she formed the Marxist-inspired Gruppo Forma 1 with other artists such as Giulio Turcato, Piero Dorazio and Pietro Consagra.

In addition to her art work, Accardi co-founded the Rivolta Femminile group in 1970 with fellow feminist activists Carla Lonzi and Elvira Banotti.

Accardi exhibited in major art institutions around the world and lived on Via del Babuino in central Rome, where she painted until the end.

See Edith Schloss review of Accardi's 2011 show Spazio, ritmo e colore at the Museo Carlo Bilotti in Rome.