PINK. Women of Italian Graphic Design. From the Origins to Contemporaneity
This powerful exhibition uncovers the overlooked contributions of Italian women graphic designers who helped define eras, influence culture, and craft iconic imagery.
About PINK. Women of Italian Graphic Design. From the Origins to Contemporaneity
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.
An initiative developed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, curated by AIAP, the Italian Design Association of visual communication, and organised by the Consulate General of Italy and the Italian Institute of Culture in Edinburgh, the exhibition PINK. Women of Italian Graphic Design. From the Origins to Contemporaneity. 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 Mateldi Moretti, 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 presents more than forty graphic designers who have worked and continue to work in Italy, including some of the winners and selected in the five editions of AWDA, the AIAP Women in Design Award, the international award that AIAP (the Italian Design Association of visual communication) has been promoting since 2012.
The materials displayed and reproduced in PINK come from the Funds preserved at AIAP CDPG, the AIAP Graphic Design Documentation Centre; some of which, instead, are available thanks to the designers. Indeed, AIAP CDPG is the only Centre in Italy specifically committed to collecting, conserving, studying, and enhancing the value of graphic design materials.
When observing posters, books, sketches, drawings, or photographs, not only can we see extraordinary graphic design artefacts, but also the lives of autonomous, courageous, and talented women who reconciled and continue to reconcile their professional lives with their private ones, defining reference models that up to now have been rather underestimated and discussed.
Hosted in the new spaces of the Consulate General of Italy and the Italian Institute of Culture in Edinburgh (Italy House, 20-22 East London Street, EH7 4BQ), PINK will be open in Edinburgh from Thursday, 30 October to Friday, 12 December 2025.
The opening event on Thursday 30th October 2025 at 6:00 pm will include a talk by the curators Francesco E. Guida (Politecnico di Milano / AIAP CDPG) and a networking session (free entry, booking required: please email eventi.iicedimburgo@esteri.it or phone 0131 668 2232 & include the full names of all the guests in your party).
30 October – 12 December 2025
Opening times
Mondays to Thursdays
9.30-13.30 / 14.30 -16.00
Fridays
9.30-13.00
Free entry (booking required: please email eventi.iicedimburgo@esteri.it or phone 0131 668 2232 & include the full names of all the guests in your party).
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