Massimo Rotundo (born 11 April 1955) is an Italian comics artist.

Biography

After attending the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

in his native city, Rome, Rotundo made his debut as comics artist in 1978 in collaboration with Eura Editoriale. Later he worked for other publications, like ''

L'Eternauta ''The Eternaut'' ( es, El Eternauta) is a science fiction Argentine comic created by Héctor Germán Oesterheld with artwork by Francisco Solano López. It was first published in '' Hora Cero Semanal'' between 1957 and 1959. Since its original re ...

'', ''Comic Art'', ''

Orient Express The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe and int ...

'', '' Heavy Metal'' and ''Ècho des Savanes''. In particular, Rotundo stands out for his

erotic comics Erotic comics are adult comics which focus substantially on nudity and sexual activity, either for their own sake or as a major story element. As such they are usually not permitted to be sold to legal minors. Like other genres of comics, they c ...

, with the series ''Ex Libris Eroticis'', which recalls the tradition of illustrated erotic literature from the early 1900s. His growing reputation in the erotic comics genre led him to work in the French market as well, where he is well known and appreciated. He is also widely appreciated for his adaptation of literary masterpieces, like

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...

’s novel ''La peau de Chagrin'', ''Pasolini'' (based on

Jean Dufaux Jean Dufaux (; born 7 June 1949) is a Belgian comic book writer. Beginning his professional career as a journalist for "CINÉ-PRESSE", Dufaux started writing comic books in the 1980s. Perhaps his most well-known, and certainly his most long-runn ...

's script) and

Luciano De Crescenzo Luciano De Crescenzo (; 18 August 1928 – 18 July 2019) was an Italian writer, film actor, director and engineer. Biography Born in Naples, he grew up with actor Bud Spencer. De Crescenzo graduated in engineering and worked for IBM Italy un ...

's ''The Greek Myths''. In Italy, his work includes several projects with

Sergio Bonelli Editore Sergio Bonelli Editore (formerly CEPIM and other names) is a publishing house of Italian comics founded in 1940 by Gian Luigi Bonelli (1908–2001). It takes its name from its former president, comic book writer Sergio Bonelli (1932–2011), son of ...

, starting with his drawings for the comic book ''Brendon''. He became the official cover artist of Bonelli, from the 45th issue of the series. In 2007, he worked as comics and cover artist for the mini-series '' Volto Nascosto'', also published by Bonelli. He drew for Bonelli Editore Tex "Storm on Galvestone" for the editorial series Albo Speciale "Texone". He collaborated with the writer Giuseppe Ferrandino as comics artist for ''Nero'', ''Sandokan'' and ''Sera Torbara''. He also worked with the French publisher Delcourt on the comic book ''Prediction'' with a script by Pierre Makyo. Rotundo is one of the founders, as well as a teacher in, the comics academy Scuola Romana del Fumetto in Rome. He works regularly in cinema and theatre. As an illustrator, he has collaborated with the costume designer

Milena Canonero Milena Canonero, Dame Grand Cross (born 13 July 1949) is an Italian costume designer, who has worked for both film and stage productions. She has won four Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, and been nominated for the award a total of nine t ...

in several films and plays. As a sketch artist he has worked on the films ''Crusade'' (never made) by

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...

, ''

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

'' by

Julie Taymor Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director and writer of theater, opera and film. Her stage adaptation of ''The Lion King'' debuted in 1997, and received eleven Tony Award nominations, with Taymor receiving Tony Awards for Best ...

(Academy Awards nomination for costumes), '' The Wolfman'' by

Joe Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston II (born May 13, 1950) is an American film director, producer, writer, and visual effects artist. He is best known for directing effects-driven films, including ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' (1989), ''Jumanji'' (1995 ...

and ''

Gangs of New York ''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1927 book ''The Gangs of New York''. The film stars Le ...

'' by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

. He has also worked as a character designer for animation films, like the series ''Ulysses'' (Premio Kineo-Diamanti Cartoon On The Bay in Venice - Venice International Film Festival 2012), produced by

Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

(the State-owned Italian national broadcasting company) and ''The Animation Band''. He has several awards, such as ' (1990), as best Italian comics artist, the ' from

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

in the same year, and the ''F. M. di Trani'', City of Foiano award (1992). In 2018, he won the Golden Romics for his career.

References

External links

Official website
1955 births Living people Artists from Rome Italian comics artists {{Europe-comics-creator-stub