”PINK. Women in Italian Graphic Design. From Its Origins to the Present” – Exhibition

A tribute to women’s contribution to graphic design and Italian visual culture

The history of the arts and professions has been predominantly written from a male perspective. PINK is a project that reconstructs and displays the figures and contributions of women graphic designers who have been active in Italy between the 1940s until the present day. It is a period marked by significant changes for the Italian society: from the economic boom featuring new products, habits and rituals to the era of transition, the pervasiveness of the digital experience, the crises of values and the continuous uncertainties.

PINK intends to highlight the female contribution to the evolution of this profession in Italy and to the development of the Italian visual culture. More in general, the project illustrates how little the work of these women has been recognised, while creating certain iconic images that, in some cases, have entered the imagination of millions of people.

Protagonists of the calibre of Anita Klinz (the first Italian art director), Jeanne Michot Grignani, Brunetta Moretti Mateldi, Lora Lamm, Claudia Morgagni, Simonetta Ferrante or Adelaide Acerbi contributed to the economic boom and the affirmation of the ‘Made in Italy’ brand. During the 1970s and 1980s, a time characterised by political commitment and public interest graphic design, personalities such as Elisabetta Ognibene, Elena Green, Patrizia Pataccini and Michela Papadia stood out from the rest. Lastly, in the 1990s and the 2000s, with the advent of the digital revolution and the new frontiers in communication, a number of new personalities emerged. Among these are Ginette Caron, Cristina Chiappini, Claude Marzotto, Silvana Amato – the first Italian woman to become a member of AGI (namely, Alliance Graphique Internationale, the international organisation bringing together the most influential graphic designers in the world), and Laura Viale, with her Millelire covers for Stampa Alternativa.

PINK results from a research and dissemination project on the female contribution to graphic design that AIAP, the Italian Association of Visual Communication Design, has been conducting for almost 20 years. PINK is a continuously evolving platform for research, reflection and valorisation. PINK is an act of provocation: by performing an in-depth investigation of the past and contemporary times, its aim is to contribute towards the re-interpretation of the history of graphic design from a more inclusive perspective.

The selection of contemporary women designers is made in collaboration with AWDA, the AIAP Women in Design Award, which has been a privileged observatory of the profession since 2012.

Born from an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the exhibition is curated by Francesco E. Guida and Lorenzo Grazzani for AIAP – the Italian Association of Visual Communication Design, and organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Montreal.

Inauguration
September 24th, 6pm
Lecture by Alessandro Colizzi, Associate Professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Department of Design
Free admission – R.S.V.P.

Exhibition
September 25th – November 5th, 2026
Free admission

Italian Cultural Institute of Montréal
1200 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montréal

Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m.–1 p.m. / 2 pm–5 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.–1 p.m.