HUGO PRATT

CORTO MALTESE

DESCRIPTION

Hugo Pratt is one of the most important and internationally renowned cartoonists. His work has received the kind of recognition usually reserved only for great artists, and brought him tributes from the likes of Woody Allen, Tim Burton, Umberto Eco, Frank Miller and many others.

The exhibition retraces Pratt’s human and artistic adventure, starting with his most famous character, Corto Maltese, rediscovering his footsteps in the locations of his many adventures.

Corto Maltese is the main character in stories which are comparable to those of great literature, thanks to the psychological and human complexity of the characters and the range of situations described.

But even before the stories begin, no reader is able to ignore Corto Maltese’s features, the expression of Pratt’s extraordinary graphic talent.

Indeed, this ability is placed firmly at the centre of this exhibition, after the big one in Lugano: some one-hundred and fifty water-colours, studies and original tablets by the artist are on display, featuring Corto Maltese and other characters immersed in the most diverse settings: from Manchuria to Egypt, the Caribbean, Venice, Argentina and Ireland.