Introducing the third edition of ‘Italian Excellence‘, the international exhibition dedicated to Italian children’s illustrations. The first edition of this event took internationally renowned illustrators around the world, while the second celebrated Gianni Rodari; this third edition is dedicated to young Italian illustrators (aged between 23 and 35) who have made a name for themselves thanks to the quality of their drawing, the originality of their content and their ability to make texts interact with images in a personal and unique way.
The new edition of Italian Excellence will be focused on these illustrators, looking for the 20 artists able to best represent Italian children’s illustration abroad. The exhibition will be featuring Andrea Antinori, Marianna Coppo, Marta Pantaleo, Irene Penazzi, Camilla Pintonato, Luca Tagliafico, Veronica Ruffato, Giulia Tomai, to name but a few.
Sometimes their work goes beyond the defined perimeters of books, where pages can become like walls, moving on to populate posters, magazines, the web and self-production: one of these artists has been short-listed for a Kate Greenaway Medal, many have been selected for the Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, some have won many awards already, while others are today approaching the universe of children’s publishing and comics with determination.
Characters that really stand out for the diversity of the techniques and narration styles used, offering themselves as unique viewing opportunities for readers, visitors, scholars and anyone who may simply be curious.
The focus on the new generations of illustrators, the research that goes into the final selection and the resulting exhibition, not to mention the online and paper catalogue, are the fruit of the collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Emilia Romagna Region, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the Giannino Stoppani Cooperative/Drosselmeier Academy.
The cover image from the exhibition is by Giulia Tomai.