Italian Excellence. Pinocchio’s New Clothes

The next “Italian Excellence” Exhibition will mark the bicentennial of the birth of Carlo Collodi, author of The Adventures of Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet, beloved by readers of all ages all over the world. Departing from the format of the previous editions, the Exhibition - organised by Bologna Children’s Book Fair – will pay tribute to the literary excellence of Collodi with illustrations of the famous puppet.

The new edition of the “Italian Excellence” Collection will be made up of two parts: one, containing already published illustrations of The Adventures of Pinocchio, the other, the 20 winning illustrations of an international contest curated by BCBF.

Pinocchio first appeared in a children’s magazine as a serial story. There were no images. Words reigned supreme on the page: “Once upon a time...” – and everyone settled down to listen. Many then learned to read the words, after which, the magazine serial gave way to fully-fledged book form. But books needed pictures.

Since then, decade after decade, Pinocchio has been depicted in many ways by the numerous illustrators who have paid tribute to him: first in line art, then black and white, and finally in colour as printing technology advanced. Two contemporary illustrators of the famous character stand out: Roberto Innocenti and Lorenzo Mattotti, both Italian.

Today, this same puppet from Italy invites young artists from all over the world to celebrate his creator Carlo Collodi, by submitting illustrations of the events, scenes and characters in the story.

The Exhibition will be on show at the upcoming 63rd edition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair – from 13 to 16 April 2026 – after which it will tour numerous Italian Cultural Institutes around the world. The Exhibition catalogue will contain all the illustrations on show. Both the Exhibition and catalogue will be curated by Accademia Drosselmeier/Cooperativa Culturale Giannino Stoppani.