The year 2020 marks the centennial of the birth, on October 23, 1920, of Gianni Rodari, one of the most innovative children’s authors and the first Italian to win the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1970. The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco and Bologna Children’s Book Fair will honour the anniversary with the exhibit Illustrators for Gianni Rodari.

Re-printed year after year, Rodari’s works continue to be relevant. Twenty-one Italian illustrators who have interpreted Rodari over the years are the theme of this new edition of Italian Excellence, the exhibition first staged in 2015 and presented in 10 countries to great acclaim.