The exhibition PINK. Women in Italian Graphic Design. From the Origins to the Present will open on March 6. Conceived by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and hosted in Toronto at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, the project is curated by Francesco E. Guida (Politecnico di Milano/AIAP), Lorenzo Grazzani (AIAP CDPG), and Paola Ciandrini (University of Macerata), in collaboration with the AIAP Documentation Centre for Graphic Design. Produced by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI), PINK brings long-overdue visibility to the women who have shaped—and continue to shape—the evolution of Italian graphic design.
EXHIBITION
PINK
Women in Italian Graphic Design. From the Origins to the Present.
Friday, March 6 to Friday, April 24
Monday to Friday | 10AM to 3:30PM
Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto
496 Huron St | Toronto ON
FREE ADMISSION | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
For decades, the history of visual arts and creative professions has been told predominantly from a male perspective. PINK rebalances this narrative by celebrating designers whose work has significantly shaped Italian visual culture from the 1940s onward. Many created images, visual identities, and iconic graphics that became part of Italy’s collective imagination, yet their professional recognition often lagged behind their influence. Figures such as art director / graphic designer Claudia Neri have also played a key role in shaping contemporary Italian visual communication and continue to inspire new generations of designers. The exhibition traces these contributions across pivotal phases of Italian history, from the post-war economic boom and the rise of Made in Italy branding to the cultural and technological transformations of the digital era.
The exhibition features pioneering figures such as Anita Klinz, Italy’s first female art director, as well as Jeanne Michot Grignani, Brunetta Mateldi Moretti, Lora Lamm, Claudia Morgagni, Simonetta Ferrante, and Adelaide Acerbi—women who helped define the visual identity of Italy during the years of rapid growth. It also gives space to the designers active in the 1970s and 1980s, including Elisabetta Ognibene, Elena Green, Patrizia Pataccini, and Michela Papadia, who worked extensively in public interest and political communication. With the arrival of digital tools in the 1990s and 2000s, new talents emerged, among them Ginette Caron, Cristina Chiappini, Claude Marzotto, and Silvana Amato—the first Italian member of AGI, Alliance Graphique Internationale—as well as Laura Viale, renowned for the iconic Millelire book covers for Stampa Alternativa.