Leo Lionni and Friends

About this event

This exhibition introduces the diverse creative activities of picture book author Leo Lionni (1910-1999) alongside the artists who influenced him. Lionni, creator of masterpiece works such as "Swimmy" and "Frederick" familiar from elementary school Japanese textbooks, was born in the Netherlands, became a designer in Italy, fled the fascist regime to the United States, and achieved great success in the advertising industry. Later, he published numerous picture books loved around the world. Through approximately 300 works including paintings, sculptures, graphic designs, and original picture book drawings, this exhibition explores the full scope of Lionni's lifelong creative career. Having experienced rich European culture from his childhood and interacting with many artists in Italy during his youth, including Bruno Munari, Lionni also poured passion into painting while working as an art director in the United States. In the latter half of his life, he traveled back and forth between Italy and the United States, energetically working as a painter, sculptor, and picture book author. The exhibition examines Lionni's activities, which crossed diverse boundaries between Europe and America, as well as commercial art and fine art, within the cultural history of the 20th century. The final section displays numerous original picture book drawings looking back on over 30 years of Lionni's picture-book making journey. This exhibition is the result of research by the Itabashi Art Museum, with Nagasaki serving as the final stop of its nationwide tour.

Venue

Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum

2-1 Dejimamachi, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 850-0862