Tinto Brass, the master of auteur erotic cinema, died this morning in Rome.

Director, screenwriter, editor, and novelist, he was 93 years old: he was born in Milan on March 26, 1933. His death was announced by his wife Caterina Varzi and his children Bonifacio and Beatrice. The family has announced a strictly private funeral.

Born Giovanni, known to all as Tinto, Brass had constructed an unmistakable cinematic universe over the course of his long career, in which desire and transgression became the subject of his narrative. Born in Milan, Brass came from a family with artistic connections. He was the grandson of the painter Italico Brass, who had married a Russian woman and moved with her from Gorizia to Venice, where he purchased the Abbazia della Misericordia, also using it as an exhibition space. After studying law, he soon chose to pursue his passion for cinema, embarking on an artistic journey that would lead him behind the camera.

Among his best-known films are "Salon Kitty" (1976), "The Key" (1983), "Caligula" (released in 1984), "Miranda" (1985), "Capriccio" (1987), "Paprika" (1990) and "Monella" (1998). These films helped define his imagery, making him a recognisable figure even beyond his borders.

(Unioneonline/D)