Lavinia’s Wondrous Portraits brings children closer to the work of Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614), a professional artist from Bologna who was famous above all as a portrait painter.
In the book, museums play a special role, and, towards the end, there is an explicit invitation to visit them. Emanuele Lugli, professor of art history and Lavinia's specialist, devotes a four-page spread to all the paintings by Lavinia that inspired the narrative, with precise indications on where to find them. Accompanying the reader are Chiara Palillo's illustrations, conceived as an artist's notebook and admirably combined with reproductions of parts of Fontana's original works - a visual lesson that educates the eyes of children and adults alike.
This rigour gives Lavinia’s Wondrous Portraits a unique character, which sets it apart from the many introductions to art for children and making it also compelling for an adult audience of parents, teachers, and graphic designers. The book won the prestigious dPICTUS award and is currently being translated into Italian, French, Turkish, and Korean.