Biography
Born in Milan on 24 June 1969, he pursued classical studies before enrolling in the Faculty of Law at the Università degli Studi di Milano, where he graduated in 1993. He began practicing law immediately thereafter. Since 2004 he has worked at a major international firm, specializing in litigation in the field of intellectual property — an area that allows him to place his legal training at the service of what most deeply engages him: human ingenuity and creativity in all their forms.
Long drawn to architecture and photography, he has cultivated both alongside his professional career, developing as a self-taught practitioner in the technical and creative dimensions of printing — first in the darkroom, later in digital processes. In 2024 he began personally crafting the frames for his photographic prints, starting from raw wood and selecting timbers and materials in dialogue with each individual image.
His photographs arise from a deep fascination with urban geometries, abandoned sites, and architectural and industrial details, whose abstract essence he seeks to capture through a measured, objective perspective.
He lives and works in Milan.
From Altre Architetture, Grafiche Antiga, Milan, May 2026.
In the press
«Io, avvocato-fotografo, così racconto gli angoli bistrattati di Milano. E mi costruisco da solo lo studio»
Elisabetta Andreis, Corriere della Sera, Milan edition, 11 May 2026
The Milan edition of Corriere della Sera visited the workshop in viale Corsica: a space abandoned until November 2024, rebuilt piece by piece, with a darkroom, a bench for the frames and prints left to dry slowly.
Follow and get in touch
New work is posted regularly on Instagram. For prints, frames or any enquiry, write to giovanni.ghirardi@gmail.com.