Italian Excellence. Illustrations for Italo Calvino

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 60^th 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 60^th 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)