Copenhagen - The exhibition “Pink. Italian Women in Graphic Design. From the Origins to the Present” will open on 15 January in Copenhagen, in the presence of curator Francesco E. Guida, professor at the Politecnico di Milano. The exhibition, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, curated by AIAP (the Italian Association of Visual Communication Design) and organized by the Italian Institute of Culture, will be on view until 16 March.
For decades, the history of the arts and creative professions has largely been told through a male-centered narrative. Pink sets out to revise this perspective by reconstructing and presenting the work of women who have played a decisive role in Italian graphic design from the 1940s to the present day. Many of these professionals created images that became iconic and deeply embedded in the collective imagination, yet their contributions were often underrecognized or overlooked.
The exhibition traces some of the most significant phases of modern Italian history. It begins with the postwar economic boom, a period marked by the rise of new consumer products, social rituals and the international affirmation of the “Made in Italy” brand. It then moves through the profound cultural and social transformations of recent decades, shaped by digital transition, shifting values and evolving forms of visual communication.
Among the figures highlighted are Anita Klinz, Italy’s first female art director, Jeanne Michot Grignani, Brunetta Mateldi Moretti, Lora Lamm, Claudia Morgagni, Simonetta Ferrante and Adelaide Acerbi, designers who contributed to defining Italy’s visual identity during the years of rapid economic growth. Alongside them are graphic designers active in the 1970s and 1980s, including Elisabetta Ognibene, Elena Green, Patrizia Pataccini and Michela Papadia, whose work often engaged with public, social and political communication.
With the arrival of the digital era in the 1990s and 2000s, new creative horizons emerged. The exhibition documents this shift through figures such as Ginette Caron, Cristina Chiappini, Claude Marzotto and Silvana Amato - the first Italian woman to join AGI (Alliance Graphique Internationale) - as well as Laura Viale, widely known for the iconic Millelire book covers published by Stampa Alternativa.
Overall, Pink presents the work of more than forty designers who are either historically significant or actively shaping today’s Italian design landscape. The exhibition also includes winners and shortlisted designers from the five editions of the AWDA – AIAP Women in Design Award, the international prize launched by AIAP in 2012 to promote and support women in the field of visual communication.