On 22 and 23 May, the book will be presented at the One Art Space gallery in New York, and an exhibition will be opened to the public to celebrate the rich heritage of post-war Italian graphic design, its profound international influence, and its enduring relationship with the United States.
The initiative is promoted by SEA Design, a London-based communications agency, in collaboration with Pentagram, supported by Fedrigoni with Monotype.
In the history of graphic design, the link between Italy and the United States is often reduced to the role and figure of Massimo Vignelli, well known for his projects and activities once he moved to New York. However, many other Italians and Americans cultivated this connection after the Second World War. Some are key figures in the history of Italian or American graphic design; others are less well known and have recently been rediscovered.
On display are a selection of originals from the collections of AIAP CDPG, the Graphic Design Documentation Centre of AIAP, which also edited the volume. It is divided into four parts that investigate this relationship in various ways: Italian Designers Who Worked In The U.S.; Italian Designed Book Covers For U.S. Authors; U.S. Designers Who Worked In Italy; Influential Italian Graphic Design.
The exhibition and book will include works by Massimo Vignelli, Heinz Waibl, Giulio Cittato, Bruno Munari, Armando Milani, George Giusti, Roberto Mango, Romaldo Giurgola, Mario Dagrada, Marco Biassoni, Albe Steiner, Bob Noorda, Giulio Confalonieri, Anita Klinz, Ferenc Pinter, Balilla Magistri, Riccardo Sallustio, Max Huber, Milton Glaser, Bruce Blackburn, Saul Bass, Ivan Chermayeff, Leo Lionni, Paul Rand, John Alcorn, Silvio Coppola, Franco Grignani, Erberto Carboni, Alfredo Mastellaro, Claudia Morgagni, Ettore Sottsass, Riccardo Manzi, Sergio Ruffolo, Franco Bassi, Danilo Nubioli, Enzo Mari, Giovanni Pintori and Walter Ballmer.
In one of the volume’s introductions, Michael Bierut (Pentagram) wrote: ‘Italian graphic design has a rare power that can still surprise us. Made In Italy NYC contains examples of the warmth, humanity and verve that excited designers half a century ago and continue to inspire today.’
