Giovanni "Gianni" Benvenuti (26 June 1926 – 15 September 2005), commonly known as Benvenuti, was an Italian artist whose career spanned multiple decades and diverse art forms, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration, and cartooning. His work earned recognition across Europe and the United States. He is best known for his work as an illustrator of children's books, having done illustrations for classics such as ''

Grimms' Fairy Tales ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', originally known as the ''Children's and Household Tales'' (, , commonly abbreviated as ''KHM''), is a German collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Jacob Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm, first publish ...

'', ''

Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...

'', and ''

Mother Goose Mother Goose is a character that originated in children's fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as ...

''.

Life and career

Giovanni Benvenuti was born on 26 June 1926 in

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

, Italy, to Lida (née Pistelli) and Francesco Benvenuti. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, his family relocated to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, where he completed his studies at the Vittorio Veneto Scientific Lyceum. He later attended the

University of Milan The University of Milan (; ), officially abbreviated as UNIMI, or colloquially referred to as La Statale ("the State niversity), is a public university, public research university in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Eu ...

, where he studied architecture, a discipline that would influence his work in the visual arts. Benvenuti began his career as cartoonist for the Italian

publishing house Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

Arnoldo Mondadori Editore Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy. History The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In ...

, with an adaptation of '' L'Ultimo dei Mohicani'' for in their comic ''

Topolino ''Topolino'' (from the Italian language, Italian name for Mickey Mouse) is an Italian digest-sized comic series featuring Disney comics. The series has had a long running history, first appearing in 1932 as a comics magazine. Since 2013, it has ...

''. He continued working for Mondadori, illustrating Gli Albi d'Oro (

Golden Books *Western Publishing (1907−2001) — , magazines, and {{C, Children's book publishers, children's books publisher, formerly based in Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is ...

) short stories. By the 1950s, Benvenuti gained prominence as an illustrator of

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

. He illustrated over fifty books. His works included ''The Bible'', ''

'', ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'', ''

'', and ''

''. These works were translated into numerous languages. Benvenuti was featured in the ''Italian National Catalogue of Sculpture'', the ''History of Italian Art in the 1900s'', and the ''Illustrations and Cartoonists of the 1950s''. In 1975, Benvenuti moved to

Pietrasanta Pietrasanta is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of northern Tuscany in Italy, in the province of Lucca. Pietrasanta is part of Versilia, on the last foothills of the Apuan Alps, about north of Pisa. The town is located off the coast, where the ...

, a town known for its tradition in marble and bronze sculpting. There, he shifted his focus to sculpture, a medium that defined much of his later work. He played a role in founding ''Scultori e Artigiani in un Centro Storico'', an annual sculpture exhibition in Pietrasanta, which showcased works from Europe's sculptors. Benvenuti continued to direct this exhibition until 1980. In 1980, Benvenuti moved to the United States, where he married artist Elfie Harris. In 1981, they established Harris Benvenuti Inc., a

design studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

and

gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: * Gallery (surname), a surname Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery ** Online art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ' ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The studio, located in a converted

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

building, became a center for the couple's artistic endeavors. During his years in the United States, his work centered around sculpture, painting, and design projects. Benvenuti's artistic style evolved throughout his career. His early works were more monochromatic and figurative, while his later pieces were more colorful and abstract. Similarly, his sculptures, which initially "were jagged with aggressive lines", became more simplified and abstract over time. Benvenuti died from stomach cancer on 15 September 2005 at his home in Philadelphia. He was survived by his wife, Elfie Harris.

Legacy

Benvenuti is recognized as a significant figure in 20th-century Italian art. His work, encompassing painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration, and cartooning, has been exhibited in major galleries across Italy, France, and the United States. His pieces are held in private collections and museums, including the Museum of Modern Italian Art in Milan. Following his death in 2005, Benvenuti's wife, Elfie Harris, initiated plans to establish a museum in their former studio in Germantown, Philadelphia, to honor his work.

Selected illustrated books

Benvenuti is known for children's book illustrations, including: * * * * * * * * * * *

Notes

References

External links

Website for the original Harris Benvenuti studio

''Enchanted Princess'' (1959), Giant Golden Book
— examples of fairy tale illustrations {{DEFAULTSORT:Benvenuti, Gianni 1925 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Italian sculptors 21st-century Italian sculptors Italian children's book illustrators 20th-century Italian illustrators Deaths from stomach cancer in the United States Artists from Milan Artists from Pisa Italian comics artists University of Milan alumni Italian emigrants to the United States 20th-century Italian male artists Artists from Philadelphia 21st-century Italian male artists 21st-century Italian painters 20th-century Italian painters Italian male sculptors Italian male painters Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania