Biographie
Working as a freelance, he was the only photographer on the scene when the body of Aldo Moro, the Italian Prime Minister killed by the Red Brigades, was found. In 1981 he began working with the Sygma Agency. In 1988 he spent six months photographing the private life of Pope John Paul II in the Vatican, which won him the first prize at the World Press Awards.
In the following two years Giansanti covered stories on China, the Italian aristocracy, the men behind Perestroika, military academies in the U.R.S.S. and the jockeys of the Palio at Siena. In 1991 he was awarded first prize in the Art section at the Angers Festival and second prize in the Sport section of the World Press Awards for his work on the Palio.
That same year he published his book Cavalli in Palio (White Star Editions). After winning the University of Missouri 1992 Picture of the Year Award for his photographs of famine-stricken Somalia, he published a reportage on the complex phenomenon of miracles. In 1993 his work with Ayrton Senna brought him into contact with the turbulent world of Formula One racing, and the result was the book The Colours of Passion, produced with Renault Motorsport.
In 1995 the publication of his book John Paul II, Portrait of a Pontiff (White Star Editions) was followed by a prestigious exhibitions in the Salone Sistino at the Vatican, in the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris and in the Musée des Beaux Arts in Rio de Janeiro. In 1997 Giansanti published the book Jacques Villeneuve, A Champion in Pictures (Goldstar Holdings Corporation), in which he covered Villeneuve on the track, behind the scenes and away from racing.
The 1999 is completely dedicated to politics:
Giansanti realizes Discover the Chamber of Deputies, a reportage of everyday life in Montecitorio.
He spends 2001 in following the life of football champion Alessandro Del Piero, producing with him the book Semplicemente Del Piero.
A long work in Africa, looking for the origin of the Man among the primitive tribes in the Omo Valley is the theme of the book Vanishing Africa, that will be a huge editorial success.
Following the death of Pope John Paul II, Giansanti continues to attend the Vatican events with close attention and the first year of Ratzinger’s Papacy becomes the photo-book Benedict XVI, the Dawn of a new Papacy.
