A new exhibition dedicated to the pioneers of graphic design in Italy, curated by AIAP CDPG. From 1 to 15 October 2025, cocchi&cocchi (Via Paolo Ferrari 107, Modena) will host “Grafica a parte. Pioniere del design grafico italiano” (Graphic Design Apart. Women Pioneers of Italian Graphic Design).
The exhibition aims to highlight the work of female graphic designers who are often excluded or overlooked in the grand narratives of Italian graphic design. These figures deserve a place in these narratives for having made their mark during a period and in a social and economic context subject to great change.
Brunetta Mateldi Moretti, Anita Klinz, Claudia Morgagni, Simonetta Ferrante, Jeanne Michot Grignani, Umberta Barni, Carla Gorgerino, Ornella Linke Bossi, Alda Sassi (Alsa) and Lora Lamm, active during the golden age of Italian graphic design (between the immediate post-war period and the early 1970s), contributed through their work to the success of Made in Italy, the reconstruction of the country and the economic and industrial boom.
This was a historical period in which the employment of Italian women, even in professional sectors that were in some ways “privileged”, was conditioned by stereotypes and preconceptions about female roles, limitations and presumed social obligations.
Looking at posters, books, sketches, drawings and photographs, not only can we see graphic artefacts that are in many cases extraordinary, but we can also discover the lives of independent, courageous and talented women who reconciled their professional and private lives. These are profiles that allow us to identify role models.
They are true pioneers who marked the transition from poster art to graphic design. They were among the first to hold artistic director positions in large companies and industries, to start their own businesses, to manage various types of contracts and clients, and to perform multiple roles in their professions, teaching, artistic research, and family management.
All the original materials and those reproduced for the occasion come from the AIAP CDPG archives, which continues to promote historical research and dissemination dedicated to women in Italian graphic design.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Municipality of Modena and Confindustria Emilia Area Centro. Technical partner: Multigrafica.
From left to right: Jeanne Michot Grignani, Necchi poster, 1955–1960; Carla Gorgerino, Upim-la Rinascente advertisement, 1962; Brunetta Moretti Mateldi, Upim advertisement, 1966.
Opening ceremony, Wednesday 1 October 2025 4 p.m., opening 5.30 p.m., opening speech, refreshments and networking
Opening hours from 2 to 15 October 2025 Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 2 p.m.–5 p.m. Sat–Sun, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Reservations are always required for schools and large groups. For classes wishing to take advantage of a guided tour and a discussion with the agency, two special times have been set aside, subject to reservation, on Friday 3 and Friday 10 October from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
