International Cartoonists Exhibition
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The International Cartoonists Exhibition is an annual art exhibition held in Rapallo, Liguria, Italy. Founded in 1972, it was one of the earliest Italian exhibitions devoted to comics. Conceived in order to popularize and increase the importance of work done by comic authors, it was the first exhibition of its kind to display original artwork. It is one of the few comics-related activities to have been founded and always directed by professional authors of the field, beginning with Carlo Chendi, an Italian cartoonist and ''Disney Italy'' screenwriter and the cartoonists
Luciano Bottaro Luciano Bottaro (16 November 1931 – 25 November 2006) was an Italian comic book artist. Bottaro's characteristic style is highly appreciated in Europe - many countries publish his comics (such as France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and ...
and
Giorgio Rebuffi Giorgio Rebuffi (7 November 1928 – 15 October 2014) was an Italian comics artist. Born in Milan, Rebuffi started his career in 1949 when, still being a university student at the Faculty of Medicine, he created the character Sceriffo Fox ("Sheri ...
, who founded the ''Studio Bierreci''; other collaborators include the restaurateur Fausto Oneto, the designer Enrico Macchiavello (famous for ''Ceres'' beer commercials) and the official site's owner, Davide Caci.


Rapalloonia!

''Rapalloonia!'' is a cultural association which pursues the promotion of comics, cartoons and related art forms, through channels of information and culture. The arms of ''Rapalloonia!'' were designed by the musician and actor Luigi Maio. Since 2014, the association's president has been Davide Caci, who became president after Carlo Chendi, one of the association's founders and current honorary president. ''Rapalloonia!'' works with partners to promote comics as a form of expression and means of communication. Some of these non-profit organizations include Comune di Rapallo, Regione Liguria, Provincia di Genova and UNICEF.


History

The exhibition's organization was originally dedicated to two main categories: the cartoonists, and the readers. The aim of the exhibition was to show how a comic page is born, illuminating the processes by which pictures are drawn by hand before being photographed and downsized, ready for print. The first exhibition, in 1972, showed the work of cartoonists from eight different countries. As with the 1973 show, no particular theme was selected for exhibition. However, the 1974 exhibition was given the subject of women in comics, as main characters and as authors. This show was an enormous success, drawing attention from the mass media. Special guests
Oriana Fallaci Oriana Fallaci (; 29 June 1929 – 15 September 2006) was an Italian journalist and author. A partisan during World War II, she had a long and successful journalistic career. Fallaci became famous worldwide for her coverage of war and revolution, ...
and Natalia Aspesi wrote articles in their respective newspapers, and RAI (Italy's national public broadcasting company) reported on the exhibition on national television. Following shows have continued similarly, with various themes being chosen for exhibition. One was dedicated to Corriere dei Piccoli; two to publishing house (
Edizioni Alpe Edizioni Alpe (also known for a time in the late 1940s as Edizioni Subalpino) was an Italian publishing house founded in 1939 and active until the late 1980s. Based in Milan, it published a series of magazines focusing on popular fiction genres— ...
and Edizioni Bianconi), two to
Cristoforo Colombo Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
; three to comic schools: the Connecticut school ( Mort Walker,
Dik Browne Richard Arthur Allan Browne (August 11, 1917 – June 4, 1989) was an American cartoonist, best known for writing and drawing ''Hägar the Horrible'' and ''Hi and Lois''. Biography Browne attended Cooper Union and got his start at the ''New York ...
and many others) and to Italian schools ''Strisce di Terra'' ("Strips of Earth") and ''Strisce di Mare'' ("Strips of the Sea"); one to the cartoon heroes of the western world; one to satire; one to the topic of Christmas, made in Milan and Rapallo, connected to fundraising for the charity Francesca Rava N.P.H. that helps children of
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
and of other
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
countries; five dedicated to famous characters: Martin Mystère, Ken Parker, Paperinik, Julia and Dylan Dog; two to the sea: ''Nuvole d’acqua salata'' ("Clouds of saltwater") and ''Mare a strisce'' ("Sea of comic strips"); one to ''Magie e Incantesimi'' ("Spells and Enchantments"); one to
W.I.T.C.H ''W.I.T.C.H.'' (stylised as ''W.i.t.c.h.'') is an Italian fantasy Disney comics series created by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci, and Barbara Canepa. The series features a group of five teenage girls who become the guardians of the classi ...
; and one to the music with the title ''Note a fumetti'' (loosely "music to comics"). Finally, six shows were dedicated to different authors:
Luciano Bottaro Luciano Bottaro (16 November 1931 – 25 November 2006) was an Italian comic book artist. Bottaro's characteristic style is highly appreciated in Europe - many countries publish his comics (such as France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and ...
,
Ivo Milazzo Ivo Milazzo (born 20 June 1947) is an Italian comic book artist. Born in Tortona, Milazzo worked mainly for Sergio Bonelli Editore. He debuted in 1971, drawing some ''Tarzan'' stories for the French market. Together with his friend, writer Gianc ...
, Silver, Ro Marcenaro and
Carl Barks Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck ...
. For the first time, one was dedicated to ''Idee e Creatività'' ("ideas and creativity"), to demonstrate that without an idea, story or screenplay, cartoons cannot exist: the four screenwriters are
Tiziano Sclavi Tiziano Sclavi (born 3 April 1953 in Broni) is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. Sclavi is most famous as creator of the comic book ''Dylan Dog'' in 1986, for Italian publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore. M ...
, Giancarlo Berardi, Carlo Chendi and
François Corteggiani François Corteggiani (21 September 1953 – 21 September 2022) was a French comics artist and writer. Biography He was born on 21 September 1953 in France. He got a degree in art before becoming an artist for advertising. He created his first ...
. For every exhibition, the organisation has edited books (between 70–120 pages) with large-size pages, coloured or in black and white. They are catalogues and monographic publications based on the theme chosen for each exhibition. The cartoonists' exhibition has not only been held in Rapallo, having travelled over the years, and collaborated with other cartoonist events hosted in other places. The exhibition has twice moved to the site of Lucca Comics & Games, and has collaborated with ''Strisce d'Africa'' ("Comic Strips of Africa"), dedicated to the European and American cartoons stories set in Africa and to those created by indigenous authors. The show has also collaborated in
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
with ''Venezia nel fumetto'' ("Venice in comics").


Editions

The exhibition in these 40 years had different themes: below the most appreciated and remembered editions for newspapers and websites: the 33rd edition of 2005 was dedicated to
Carl Barks Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck ...
: as always between guests there were international guests, between them, ''Carl Barks' Fan Club'' and Don Rosa, the natural heir of Barks. The 34th edition there was in November 2006, and it had as theme ''Comics schools'', in which the main Italian and foreign comics schools participated. The 38th edition, from 25 September to 10 October 2010, was dedicated to women in comics, through the heroin criminologist story, created by Giancarlo Berardi, father of the famous Ken Parker: she is Julia Kendall, who aesthetically remembers
Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...
. This edition talks about the publishing adventure of a criminologist called Julia, a young woman who works and lives in Garden city, a fictional American metropolis; she is a criminology teacher at the ''Hollyhock University'', but often she cooperates with police in case of investigations that ask her advice. This edition had a very important theme and for this reason, a debate on women was organized with a lesson on stalker, a real event for women, in which for the first time the ''Rapalloonia prize'' was given to an external person to the comics world: Alessandra Bucci, the deputy superintendent of state police and official in charge of ''Homicide police headquarters in Genoa'', for her parallel life with Julia. The 39th edition from the 1st to 16 October 2011, was marked by a negative event, the death of Sergio Bonelli shortly before of exhibition, the editor of Dylan Dog and
Tex Willer Tex Willer is the main fictional character of the Italian comics series ''Tex'', created by writer Gian Luigi Bonelli and illustrator Aurelio Galleppini, and first published in Italy on 30 September 1948. It is among the most popular characters ...
in 1986, instead created by his father Gian Luigi Bonelli; in addition in this edition was remembered
Sergio Cofferati Sergio Cofferati (born 30 January 1948) is an Italian trade unionist and politician. Secretary general of CGIL from 1994 to 2002, Mayor of Bologna for the Democrats of the Left from 2004 to 2009 and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 20 ...
former secretary of
Cgil The Italian General Confederation of Labour (; CGIL) is a national trade union based in Italy. It was formed by agreement between socialists, communists, and Christian democrats in the "Pact of Rome" of June 1944. In 1950, socialists and Christi ...
and today MEP with a contribution to his literature. The exhibition was concluded with a press review in honor of Bonelli: for this reason the exhibition was named ''Happy birthday Dylan Dog''. He is the main character of the horror comic "Dylan Dog", created by
Tiziano Sclavi Tiziano Sclavi (born 3 April 1953 in Broni) is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. Sclavi is most famous as creator of the comic book ''Dylan Dog'' in 1986, for Italian publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore. M ...
, official screenplayer, and inspired to the actor Rupert Everett and his stories set in London, where he lives in
Craven Road Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...
,7. Bonelli in his career, inherited Tex from his father, started Dylan Dog and created two characters Zagor and
Mister No ''Mister No'' is an Italian comic book, first published in Italy in 1975 by Sergio Bonelli Editore. Mister No was created by writer Sergio Bonelli artist Gallieno Ferri in Spring 1975. Bonelli published under the pseudonym Guido Nolitta. The regu ...
: the first is similar to Tarzan because he uses elements such as West, mysterious forest, Indians and wilderness, while the second one has his features, he's an avid traveler and dreamer, a yankee who said no to war and progress, siding with weakers. The fortieth edition, from 10 to 25 November 2012, was one of the most significative; although the weather alert of that period, the opening day always took place in the ''Teatro Auditorium delle Clarisse'', with a special conduction on stage of Rudy Zerbi and Luigi Maio, with the screening of a documentary, made by Giancarlo Sordi, in memory of Sergio Bonelli, died one years ago ''Come Tex nessuno mai''. But the beauty of that edition wasn't limited there, in that year were celebrated forty years of exhibition with the exposition of original drawings and the greatest classics of comics world that were shown in the first edition of exhibition. The twenty years of the perfect union between cartoons and kitchen of restaurateur Fausto Oneto; thirty years of Martin Mystère the detective of impossible made by
Alfredo Castelli Alfredo Castelli (born 26 June 1947) is an Italian comic book artist and writer. Biography Born in Milan, Castelli began his comic book career at an early age, creating the strip '' Scheletrino'', a humor series for Italian comic book ''Diabolik' ...
, to resolve mysterious and inexplicable facts in mysterious places, against secret society, ufo, enigmatic characters and creatures of nightmare; and finally sixty years of Carlo Chendi's career, founder of exhibition, with his
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
,
Paperino Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic American Pekin, white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shi ...
and Pepito's exhibition. During the exhibition an important announcement was published:''"the city decided to honor Chendi's memory with a street or a square to Walt Disney"''. Cartoons, therefore, get in to the Rapallo's place names and the Rapallo's castle became ''Paperopoli''. For this reason, the exhibition celebrated these years with the ''Cartoonist's Celebration'' edition. Moreover 30 November was a particular day: Chendi worked as a professor for a day, the exhibition and the teachers of cartoons Chiavari school agreed on a challenging and interesting project: in secondary schools of the place, were combined boys and children with some of the most popular designers of the time, to explain how a cartoon's story born, from its initial idea to the publication: for example, took part Egle Bartolini, Titti and Silvestro's designer: all these events to carry on a tradition in Rapallo, since it is considered the capital of cartoon. The 42nd edition, from 27 September to 19 October 2014, was named ''Sportoonia'', an exhibition dedicated to sport. The main theme was in fact the relationship between the art and sport, not a random choice, just in the year in which Rapallo is the ''European City of Sport'' and also because, there are sports activities in comics as it should be in the life of everyone: moreover for the first time of manifestation, were exposed tables and illustration
Manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
, because the Japanese cartoons are those in which the sport's theme is present enough, starting for example from Holly and Benji and Mila and Shiro.


Catalogs Covers in different editions of International Cartoonists' Exhibition


The U Giancu's prize

In 1992, in an autumn night, the U giancu's prize was born. The name ''U giancu'' comes from the restaurant in which some people were gathered that night: there where the owner of the comic restaurant U giancu, Fausto Oneto, his wife, an Italian stage director
Luciano Bottaro Luciano Bottaro (16 November 1931 – 25 November 2006) was an Italian comic book artist. Bottaro's characteristic style is highly appreciated in Europe - many countries publish his comics (such as France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and ...
, his friend Piero Campana (his historical help at the restaurant) and finally Claudio Bertieri that all of a sudden spoke about the idea to celebrate their common friend, the cartoonist
Antonio Canale Antonio Canale (25 February 1915 – 15 October 1991) was an Italian comic writer and artist, also known under the pen name Tony Chan. Life and career Born in Monza, Canale started his career at very young age as assistant of Toni Pagot. He made ...
who died few months before. For this reason they called immediately
Emanuele Luzzati Emanuele Luzzati (3 June 1921 – 26 January 2007) was an Italian Painting, painter, production designer, illustrator, film director and animator. He was nominated for Academy Awards for two of his short films, ''La gazza ladra'' (''The Thie ...
, an Italian animator and illustrator, and so they asked him to create a little statue. His invention was ''The White Pulcinella'' that became since then the symbol of the price, in fact the term ''u giancu'' is in the Genoese dialect and it means ''the white''; Oneto to finish the work decided to put the statue in an elegant box of olive wood made by his carpenter.Il premio U Giancu
At the beginning the prize was given only to a realist designer and to a comic designer: the first prizewinners were Aurelio Galleppini and
Francesco Tullio Altan Francesco Tullio Altan (born 30 September 1942) is an Italian comics artist and satirist. Biography He was born in Treviso, the son of Friulan anthropologist Carlo Tullio Altan. He studied at the University IUAV of Venice, but halted his studi ...
. When Chendi returned to Rapallo in 1996, he asked to Oneto for associating the prize with exhibition, for moving the famous dinner of Cartoonist from Wednesday to Saturday and for awarding the prize also to a screenplayer: for this reason in 1996, the first screenplayer who won the prize was Sergio Bonelli with his stories of Zagor,
Mister No ''Mister No'' is an Italian comic book, first published in Italy in 1975 by Sergio Bonelli Editore. Mister No was created by writer Sergio Bonelli artist Gallieno Ferri in Spring 1975. Bonelli published under the pseudonym Guido Nolitta. The regu ...
and Tex. From that moment, every year the U giancu's prize is given to three people: a comic cartoonist, a scriptwriter and a comic adventure cartoonist; this event is strictly related with the famous ''International Cartoonists exhibition'', in fact it develops in the same day of the show opening, but not in the same place: cartoonists, authors, comedians, editors, actors in a big dinner and obviously many fans to have an autograph, wait and celebrate the U giancu's prize in the Oneto's restaurant, that is similar to a cartoon museum in which every year their eat, drink, laugh, draw and tattle until late at night.


Notes


External links

{{commons, Mostra internazionale dei cartoonists
Sito ufficiale

Ristorante U Giancu

Tutte le notizie dalla riviera ligure e dall'entroterra

Spazio Giovani Rapallo - S.Margherita Lig.

Rapallo Turismo

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