United States – “Italian Excellence: Illustrators for Gianni Rodari”
The year 2020 will mark the centenary of the birth of Gianni Rodari -on October 23rd, 1920 – one of the most famous children’s authors worldwide. Fairy-tales, nursery-rhymes, poems, short stories, and novels composes his wide artistic production, besides his fundamental essay translated in many countries The Grammar of Fantasy, a milestone in pedagogical-literary culture, born working with children.
The art of creating stories is an ever-present theme, like the arguments Rodari developed in his works are ever vivid. He was the first Italian to win the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1970 and critics are unanimous in considering him one of the most innovative children’s authors.
Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Emilia-Romagna Region and the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco celebrate this anniversary with the exhibition Italian Excellence: Illustrators for Gianni Rodari.
Re-printed year after year, Rodari’s works continue to be re-interpreted by great illustrators.
Following this trend, and in coherence with the exhibit Illustration for Youth: Italian Excellence, first staged in 2015 and presented in more than 10 countries to great acclaim, a new edition is presented with the works by Italian illustrators who have interpreted Rodari.
Illustrators for Gianni Rodari is curated by the Cooperative Giannino Stoppani/Accademia Drosselmeier and presents works by twenty-one Italian illustrators.
Ranging from historic figures and famous contemporary artists to the younger generation, they are:
Bruno Munari, Emanuele Luzzati, Altan, Beatrice Alemagna, Gaia Stella, Olimpia Zagnoli, Manuel Fior, Alessandro Sanna, Valerio Vitali, Simona Mulazzani, Chiara Armellini, Anna Laura Cantone, Fulvio Testa, Maria Chiara Di Giorgio, Giulia Orecchia, Nicoletta Costa, Federico Maggioni, Francesca Ghermandi, Pia Valentinis, Vittoria Facchini, Elenia Beretta.
Each illustrator is represented by three works, which are included in the catalogue published by Einaudi Ragazzi, holder of the world rights for Rodari’s writings.
The exhibit -opened in Portland to coincide with the Portland Book Festival on September 7th, is set at the Portland Art Museum until November 10th.
Italian authorities will attend the official inauguration on September 25th.
The exhibition will travel to San Francisco early in the new year, and then to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair at the end of March. In 2020 its tour will go on in other international venues.