Abstract

The essay explores the relationship between Calvino's writing and the artwork of the illustrations, starting from a successful exhibition that has just ended and from the most recent publications. In particular, it focuses on the presence of tables and drawings in many of Calvino's writings, which is the work of famous and lesser-known artists who have often collaborated with the author in the interest of intellectual affinity and research on common themes. The richness and continuity of iconographic references in both his non-fiction, and more specifically his fiction, also reveal a precocious and lasting interest by Calvino for art exhibitions, which probably originated during his first childhood reading experiences.