The modernist film director received numerous awards and a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award in 1994.
Since his first short film People of the Po in 1942, he made over 30 films, starring Alain Delon, Marcello Mastroianni, Jack Nicholson, and other remarkable actors.
After 1966 the film director often filmed outside Italy, making Blowup in London, a film that won him the Palm d'Or in Cannes.
In 1970 Antonioni made Zabriskie Point in the United States. The film resulted in huge losses and provoked a scandal, but featured British cult band Pink Floyd in its soundtrack.
The great artist suffered a stroke in 1972, after filming a documentary about China, Chung Kuo, which was heavily criticized by Chinese authorities.
In 1985 Antonioni had a second stroke which left him speechless and partially paralyzed. However, he directed a new film, Beyond the Clouds, in cooperation with Wim Wenders in 1995.
In 2004 he made one of the three segments of Eros, a project involving U.S. film director Steven Soderbergh and Wong Kar-Wai from Hong Kong.
Antonioni died the same day as another European film making giant, Ingmar Bergman, and will be buried Thursday in Ferrara.
