In celebration of the bicentenary of Collodi’s birth, Bologna Children’s Book Fair has paid a significant tribute to Pinocchio, entrusting the exhibition Eccellenze Italiane. I vestiti nuovi di Pinocchio with the task of reinterpreting its relevance and iconic power. Presented at the fair during the 63rd edition of BCBF, from 13 to 16 April 2026, and from there ready to embark on a world tour, the exhibition — together with the accompanying catalogue published by Giunti — is curated by Accademia Drosselmeier. The volume is enriched by contributions from Elena Pasoli, Daniela Marcheschi, Grazia Gotti, Silvana Sola, Santo Alligo, and a poem by Beatrice Masini.

The catalogue and the exhibition:

Eccellenze italiane is a project of illustration exhibitions curated by Bologna Children’s Book Fair, launched in 2015 to promote around the world the Italian artistic creativity expressed in books for young readers. The exhibitions, accompanied by catalogues published in collaboration with some of Italy’s most prestigious publishers, travel for years and, thanks to various partners and the network of Italian Cultural Institutes, their tour reaches dozens and dozens of countries.

Over the years, the concept of “excellence” has been interpreted in different ways. With Eccellenze italiane. I vestiti nuovi di Pinocchio, the project takes a further step: at its heart, in the role of “excellence”, is a book, a work that belongs to the universal cultural heritage. Le avventure di Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, one of the most illustrated, reinterpreted and translated texts in the history of children’s publishing, becomes the focal point of an exhibition that brings great masters and new generations into dialogue, placing images created in publishing contexts alongside works produced for an international competition, confirming the extraordinary vitality of a classic capable of renewing itself over time.

“When speaking of Italian excellence in children’s literature, one cannot help but think of Collodi’s masterpiece, of which Giunti has been the custodian since its first edition in 1883. It has therefore been an honour to share this adventure with Bologna Children’s Book Fair, once again testifying to how contemporary the story of Pinocchio remains, and how this truly revolutionary novel continues to inspire artists from all over the world, who reinvent it through their illustrative interpretations, making it their own with ever-changing and astonishing techniques and perspectives.” This is the comment of Beatrice Fini, Editorial Director for Children’s and YA Books at Giunti Editore.

“With Eccellenze italiane. I vestiti nuovi di Pinocchio, Bologna Children’s Book Fair reaffirms its commitment to promoting illustration as a central language of children’s publishing and as a cultural heritage capable of speaking to the world. Le avventure di Pinocchio, one of the most illustrated and reinterpreted texts in history, represents a privileged ground for dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity. We chose Giunti because of the long-standing and solid friendship that links it to the Fair and because of the quality of the initiatives it has dedicated to this masterpiece over the years, starting with the Museo di Pinocchio in Florence, a concrete sign of a deep and ongoing cultural commitment. We share the same idea of the illustrated book as a living heritage, capable of crossing time and speaking to different generations,” adds Elena Pasoli, Director of Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

List of artists:

Peter Bailey - Justine Brax - Iacopo Bruno - Attilio Cassinelli - Nicoletta Ceccoli - Swarna Chitrakar - Carll Cneut - Vittoria Facchini - Sara Fanelli - Alberto Gamón - Philip Giordano - Robert Ingpen - Marcello Jori - Kęstutis Kasparavičius - Emanuele Luzzati - Lorenzo Mattotti - Chris Mcewan - Mike Mignola - Minalima - Gabriel Pacheco - Ferenc Pintér - Alessandro Sanna - Guido Scarabottolo - Chrudoš Valoušek - Tony Wolf - Wolfango - Ed Young - Dominic Agsaway - Fernando Arce - Marta Bartolj - Svetlana Bratukhina - Helen Bryant - Aurora Cacciapuoti - Andra Alida Calligaro - Pui Fun Chan - Yogee Chandrasekaran - Sabrina Cigada - Patrizia Colombo - Bruno De Almeida - Merve Dilek Efe - Alice Gualandi - Lucía Miranda - Mohammad Reza Moghimi - Massimo Pastore - Abbie Preston - María Rico - Peiyin Shih - Emma Lidia Squillari - Nicole Tecchio - Emila Yusof - Xiang Zhang.