Master Printer Giorgio Upiglio’s Libri d’Artista

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5 months ago
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From his Milan studio, Grafica Uno, master printer Giorgio Upiglio (1932–2013) produced fine art prints and libri d’artista by leading 20th-century artists and writers, including Marcel Duchamp, Lucio Fontana, and Giorgio de Chirico. The studio also built a rich tradition of partnering with Latin American and Caribbean creators, such as Wifredo Lam and Roberto Matta.

Continuing this cross-cultural legacy, Grafica Uno published the 1987 limited edition artist book El libro de payasos y bufones. Pairing 15 prose poems in Spanish by Puerto Rican writer Giannina Braschi with 5 original color aquatints by Upiglio’s wife, Rita Gallé, the edition stands as a unique dialogue between the Latin American literary vanguard and the traditions of Italian fine art printmaking.

Master printer Giorgio Upiglio at work in his Milanese studio Grafica Uno

Master Printer Giorgio Upiglio in his studio

Milano’s Edizioni d’Arte Grafica Uno

The Legacy of Grafica Uno, avant-garde collaboration

Wilfredo Lam printed by Giorgio Upiglio at Grafica Uno

Specializing in lithography, etching, and aquatint, Grafica Uno earned international museum recognition, including prominent inclusion in the Museum of Modern Art’s 1992–1993 exhibition The Artist and the Book in Twentieth-Century Italy. In the exhibition catalog, MoMA noted that Upiglio was “perhaps the most esteemed publisher of contemporary prints and books in Italy,” citing his printmaking collaborations with artists such as Enzo Cucchi and Mimmo Paladino.

Artists:

  • Modern & Avant-Garde Artist: Giorgio de Chirico, Marcel Duchamp, Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri
  • CoBrA & Expressionism: Asger Jorn, Wifredo Lam, Karel Appel
  • Transavantgarde & Contemporary: Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Mimmo Paladino
  • Literary Art Books: Günter Grass, Graham Sutherland, Joe Tilson, Giannina Braschi

Archival Collections: Belicina Museum in Sicily

The permanent collection of the Belicina Museum Network (La Rete Museale e Naturale Belicina) at Casa Planeta in Menfi, Sicily, holds a significant archive of works printed by Grafica Uno. Rita Gallé, a jewelry designer and painter who spent her childhood in Menfi, donated a personal collection of her works to the city. Upiglio later supplemented his wife’s bequest by donating a major archive from Grafica Uno—including lithographs, etchings, aquatints, original matrices, printing plates, portfolios, and libri d’artista documenting the technical mastery and history of the press.

Explore the permanent collection via La Rete Museale e Naturale Belicina.

Rete Museale
Master Printer Giorgio Upiglio's Grafica Uno production of El libro de payasos y bufones by Giannina Braschi and Rita Galle (1987).
El libro de payasos y bufones (1987) by Giannina Braschi and Rita Gallé..

Featured Edition: El libro de payasos y bufones (1987)

  • Title: El libro de payasos y bufones
  • Authors: Giannina Braschi (Text) & Rita Gallé (Aquatints)
  • Printer & Publisher: Giorgio Upiglio, Grafica Uno (Milano, 1987)
  • Contents: 15 poems by Giannina Braschi and 5 original full color aquatints by Rita Gallé (25×17 cm; 25×35 cm)
  • Edition: Limited First Edition of 125 copies, numbered and signed by the authors

Libri d’Artista

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