Italian Excellence. Illustrations for Italo Calvino

Contest and Exhibition

In his anthology, Mario Barenghi (Italo Calvino, Saggi 1945-1985, Milan, Mondadori, 1995), cited Italo Calvino who described his story-writing as always starting with an image that came to him, he knew not from where. Although it might live with him for years, that image gradually developed into a story with a beginning and an end.

In 2023, the fourth “Italian Excellence” Exhibition marked the centennial of the birth of Italo Calvino, the world-famous Italian writer, beloved by readers of all ages. Departing from the format of the previous three editions, the Exhibition payed tribute to the literary excellence of Italo Calvino with illustrations of Calvino’s works by artists from around the world.

Italian Excellence. Illustrations for Italo Calvino is an exhibition organized by Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Emilia-Romagna Regional administration, and it's curated by Accademia Drosselmeier/Cooperativa Giannino Stoppani, with 120 illustrations dedicated to the great author’s work on display right at the heart of the Fair.

The works include contributions from established artists who have already published their interpretations of Calvino’s texts, and the 122 illustrations (2 for each of the 61 illustrators) winners of a competition promoted by the Fair and open to the participation of candidates from all over the world, who wished to offer their personal visions of the characters, places and ideas in Calvino’s novels. The works on display have been collected in a bilingual (Italian and English) catalogue published by Mondadori.

The Exhibition were on show at the very centre of the upcoming 60th edition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair – from 6 to 9 March 2023 – after which a tour in numerous Italian Cultural Institutes around the world has started. The multi-language Exhibition catalogue contain all the illustrations on show accompanied by texts by Calvino. Both the Exhibition and catalogue are be curated by Accademia Drosselmeier/Cooperativa Giannino Stoppani. The exhibited works have been collected in a bilingual (Italian-English) catalogue published by Mondadori.


The Exhibition Tour

The exhibition was presented at the very centre of the 60th edition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair – from 6 to 9 March 2023 – before touring numerous Italian Cultural Institutes around the world.

The first planned stage was the Festival du Livre de Paris (Grand Palais Éphémère, from 21 to 23 April 2023) where Italy was Guest of Honour. Participation was made possible by the support and collaboration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Culture with the Centre for Books and Reading, the Italian Embassy in Paris, the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris, ICE - Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalisation of Italian companies and AIE - Italian Publishers' Association.

Up next, the following stages are:

  • 29 April - 30 June, Castiglione della Pescaia (GR, Italy), which Italo Calvino had elected as a place of the heart
  • 5 May - 30 June, Battipaglia (SA, Italy), in property taken from organized crime and transferred to the municipality (Via Gramsci, 39/41/43/45)
  • 19 - 21 May, at Firenze dei bambini, Sala D'Arme in Palazzo Vecchio, Florence (Italy)
  • 24 - 28 May, at the Bookfest International Book Fair in Bucharest (Romania)
  • 8 - 31 May at the Jaguar Despertado Gallery in Villahermosa, Tabasco (Mexico)
  • 10-14 June, at the Hotel de Ville on the occasion of the Lyon BD festival in Lyon (France)
  • 15 - 18 June at the Beijing International Book Fair in Beijing (China)
  • June 13 to Sept. 29 in Montréal (Canada), organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Montréal in collaboration with the Montréal Comics Festival
  • 15 - 30 September, in Chongquing (China)
  • 15 September - 15 October, in Taipei (Taiwan)
  • 2 October - 3 November, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world, in Belgrade (Serbia)
  • October 13-16, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Nairobi (Kenya)
  • October 16-22, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Ankara and Istanbul (Turkey)
  • October 16-22, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Cairo and Alexandria (Egypt)
  • October 16-22, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Kinshasa (Democratica Republic of the Congo)
  • October 16-22, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Beijing (China)
  • October 16-20, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Washington (USA)
  • from October 17, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Sao Paulo (Brazil)
  • 18 October 2023 - 6 January 2024, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in New York (USA)
  • October 18-22, on the occasion of the Frankfurter Buchmesse in Frankfurt (Germany)
  • 19 October - 19 November, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Beirut (Lebanon)
  • 7 September - 30 November on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Melbourne (Australia)
  • 19 October - 15 December,  organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago on the occasion of the Italian Language Week in the world in Chicago (USA)
  • 23 October - 12 November, on the occasion of Italian Language Week in the world in Bratislava (Slovakia)
  • 25 October 2023 - 25 February 2024, in Montréal (Canada) 
  • 15 November 2023 - 1 March 2024, in Madrid (Spain), organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid in collaboration with the Germán Sánchez Ruipérez Foundation
  • 24 January - 3 May 2024, in Koeln (Germany)

 

The arworks of the exhibition

  • GIANNI DE CONNO - Italo Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno - Mondadori, 2014
  • GÉRALDINE ALIBEU - Viaggio con figure nelle fiabe italiane di Italo Calvino, Editrice Compositori, 2011 - La colomba ladra
  • ALICIA BALADAN - Italo Calvino, Fiabe in cui vince il più furbo, Mondadori, 2019 - Giuanni Benforte che a cinquecento diede la morte
  • NICOLETTA CECCOLI - Italo Calvino, La foresta-radice-labirinto - Mondadori, 2011.
  • MARIACHIARA DI GIORGIO - Italo Calvino, Fiabe di fanciulle fatate, Mondadori, 2019 - Prezzemolina
  • GÉRARD DUBOIS - Italo Calvino, Italian Folktales / Le Fiabe Italiane  - Folio Society, 2019 - La fiaba dei gatti
  • GIANLUCA FOLÌ - Italo Calvino, Fiabe a cavallo, Mondadori, 2019 - Il Drago dalle sette teste
  • DESIDERIA GUICCIARDINI - Italo Calvino, Fiabe un po’ da piangere, Mondadori, 2018 - Pomo e Scorzo
  • GEORGES LEMOINE - Viaggio con figure nelle fiabe italiane di Italo Calvino, Editrice Compositori, 2011 - Il paese dove non si muore mai
  • GIOVANNI MANNA - Italo Calvino, Fiabe d’incantesimi, Mondadori, 2019 - I due negozianti di mare
  • SIMONA MULAZZANI - Italo Calvino, Cola Pesce, Mondadori, 2023 - Cola Pesce
  • BARBARA NASCIMBENI - Italo Calvino, Fiabe di mare, Mondadori, 2018 - Il Principe granchio
  • FABIAN NEGRIN - Italo Calvino, Giufà e la statua di gesso, Mondadori, 2023
  • GIULIA ORECCHIA - Italo Calvino, Fiabe per i più piccini, Mondadori, 2018 - Gallo Cristallo
  • IRENE RINALDI - Italo Calvino, Fiabe di oggetti magici, Mondadori 2019 - Il pecoraio a Corte
  • GAIA STELLA - Italo Calvino, Fiabe di animali magici, Mondadori, 2018 - I tre cani
  • GIULIA TOMAI - Italo Calvino, Fiabe per le bambine, Mondadori, 2019 - Rosmarina
  • PIA VALENTINIS - Viaggio con figure nelle fiabe italiane di Italo Calvino, Editrice Compositori, 2011 - Il pappagallo
  • EMANUELE LUZZATI - Italo Calvino, Il visconte dimezzato - Mondadori, 2010
  • MARIA ENRICA AGOSTINELLI - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante - Mondadori, 2010
  • ROTRAUT SUSANNE BERNER - Italo Calvino, Der Baron auf den Bäumen / Il barone rampante - Ravensburger, 1992
  • YAN NASCIMBENE - Italo Calvino, Le Baron perché / Il barone rampante - Seuil, 2005
  • ROGER OLMOS - Cosimo, Logos, 2016
  • CLAIRE MARTIN - Italo Calvino, Le Baron perché / Il barone rampante - Jungle, 2021
  • SARA COLAONE - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante Mondadori, 2023
  • FEDERICO MAGGIONI - Italo Calvino, Il cavaliere inesistente Mondadori, 2010.
  • SERGIO TOFANO - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo, Mondadori, 2011
  • ALESSANDRO SANNA - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo, Libros del Zorro Rojo, 2013
  • DORO PETERSEN - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo oder Die Jahreszeiten in der Stadt, Büchergilde Gutenberg, 2015
  • GRAZIA NIDASIO - Italo Calvino, Orlando Furioso di Ludovico Ariosto raccontato da Italo Calvino, Mondadori, 2012.
  • ANDREA ANTINORI - Italo Calvino, Dalla favola al romanzo,Mondadori, 2021 - Biciclette in Emilia.
  • FRANCESCA AIELLO - Italo Calvino, Le fiabe italiane - Il naso d’argento
  • MARIANA ALCÀNTARA PEDRAZA - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo - Marcovaldo.
  • FRANCESCA BALLARINI - Italo Calvino, Il cavaliere inesistente
  • VANIA BARBATO - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo - La cura delle vespe
  • EWA BENIAK-HAREMSKA - Italo Calvino, Le fiabe italiane - La gallina lavandaia
  • TZU-CHUN CHANG - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante Come sopra, così sotto
  • KUN-SEN CHIANG - Italo Calvino, Le fiabe italiane - L’uomo verde d’alghe
  • MARY COLLIER FLEET - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante - Ottimo Massimo e Battista, amico e nemico
  • VERA GEREKE - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante - Su un albero
  • PERE GINARD - Italo Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno - Pin nei guai
  • LYUBA HALEVA - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo - Marcovaldo ovvero Le stagioni in città
  • VERONYKA JELINEK - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo - Negli alberi
  • MOONYO LEE - Italo Calvino, Il visconte dimezzato - Il vecchio visconte allevava molti uccelli in un’enorme voliera all’interno del castello
  • ANNA MARZUTTINI - Italo Calvino, Il cavaliere inesistente - Io vado a piedi!
  • KATARZYNA MINASOWICZ - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo - Nostalgia
  • MATÍAS JAVIER MUZZILLO - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante - Il bambino che preferiva gli alberi
  • MARCO PALENA - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante - Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò
  • ARIANNA PAPINI - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante - Sinforosa
  • HYUNMIN PARK - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante - Dall’albero
  • FEDERICA PAVAN - Italo Calvino, Le fiabe italiane - L’uomo verde d’alghe
  • NATALIE PUDALOV - Italo Calvino, Le fiabe italiane - Corpo-senza-l’anima
  • GINEVRA RAPISARDI - Italo Calvino, Il barone rampante - E io non scenderò più!
  • MARINA RUIZ - Italo Calvino, Le fiabe italiane - Pomo e Scorzo
  • TANJA SALOMAKI - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo - La città tutta per lui
  • MARCO SANDRESCHI - Italo Calvino, Il visconte dimezzato Le scorribande del visconte
  • EDOARDO SCIARRA - Italo Calvino, Il visconte dimezzato - Il duello
  • LORENA SPURIO - Italo Calvino, Marcovaldo. - La pioggia e le foglie
  • BRUNO VALASSE - Italo Calvino, Le fiabe italiane - Il Re serpente
  • LUCY WYNNE - Italo Calvino, Le fiabe italiane - Le Principesse maritate al primo che passa
  • ANA ZAVADLAV - Italo Calvino, Le fiabe italiane - Il Principe granchio 
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