Italian comic artist Mattotti featured in NYC
Lorenzo Mattotti. “Rite of Fall,” November 8, 2010. Photo courtesy of Newyorker.com.
The William Sloane mansion is hosting a new exhibition entitled, “Lorenzo Mattotti. Covers for the New Yorker” this spring. The exhibition features Mattotti, an Italian illustrator and comic artist, and curated by Melania Gazzotti. The works included in the show are 32 covers for The New Yorker and sketches and drawings from the past 20 years. The Italian Cultural Institute held an Opening Reception on February 6th for the new exhibition. It runs through March 8th, 2018.
The exhibition is displayed in three parts: The New Yorker covers, preparatory sketches, and illustrations made for articles on fashion, culture, and current affairs. All of his works have bright colors and capture New York’s culture.
Lorenzo Mattotti, 2015. Angoulême International Comics Festival, photo courtesy of: Wikipedia.org.
Lorenzo Mattotti was born in Brescia, Italy. He attended the Faculty of Architecture in Venice and became a comic artist in the late 1970s. Even though he is from Italy, he currently lives in Paris and is commended for his ability to illustrate New York in his works. To that, Mattotti responds,
“My roots lie in Italy and it certainly inspires me. I believe that in my drawings there is all the Italian painting culture. I have always loved the great Italians masters such as Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Paolo Uccello, the Metaphysical paintings and so on. Also the colors and the landscapes are inspired by Italian landscapes and scenery. I am not able to draw Paris even though I have been living there for 20 years.” He adds that music, specifically music album covers, also has a significant influence in his works.
He became famous with his graphic novel “Fires,” published in 1985 and is now considered a relic in comic history. His illustrations have been seen in Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, Le Monde, Pinocchio, and Hansel and Gretel. He was awarded the Eisner Award for his work in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The award is given to those who have achieved in the comic book industry.
-Lauren Spinelli
