Italiana: Italian Women Who Changed the World – Exhibition

Italiana: Italian Women Who Changed the World 

Illustrations by

Salvatore Catalano

The exhibition Italiana: Italian Women Who Changed the World highlights the many impressive achievements by Italian women over the course of the last few centuries, until today.

These formidable women all greatly impacted the world in one way or another, often also against the odds imposed by a “male-ruled” society. The selection of 22 portraits includes scientists, politicians, entrepreneurs, artists, humanitarians and writers. These women all accomplished incredible feats and have contributed to the world in ways that still continue to resonate nowadays.

They are not all household names, but they are all at the top of their professions and exemplify the spirit of Italy. Salvatore Catalano uses his art as a vehicle to transmit these stories and to highlight the lives of these incredible Italian women. Amon others:

Maria Montessori: “What the hand does the mind remembers”

Nancy Pelosi: “Each generation is responsible to make the future of the next”

Miuccia Prada: “Fashion is instant language”

Samantha Cristoforetti: “We do not evolve to go to space, so when it comes to space travel, we are all disabled”

Salvatore Catalano is an artist, illustrator, and educator. Catalano works in all forms of visual communication. His art has appeared on everything from postage stamps to billboards and his work is in many private and corporate collections. He is an educator at the college level, teaching in New York City and Florence, Italy. Catalano has worked with The United Nations, U.S. Government, Department of The Interior, National Audubon Society, The New York Times, The New Yorker, ABC, CBS, NBC, American Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, N.Y. Zoological Society, Merck, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer,GlaxoSmithKline, Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, Seagrams, General Foods, Sony, Panasonic, Citibank, Scholastic, Harper-Collins, Bantam-Doubleday, Dell, MacMillan, DuPont, Exxon, State of New Jersey Children’s Television Workshop, McGraw-Hill, Ranger Rick, among others. He has also worked on more than thirty books for children.