Riccardo Mannelli

Born in Pistoia in 1955, he has lived in Rome since 1977. Since 1975, he has collaborated with both national and international press; starting in 1980, he has created illustrated reportages from around the world. A key figure in major European satirical publications (L’Echo des Savanes, Humour, Cuore, Satyricon, etc.), he has directed or co-founded several of them (Il Male, Boxer, Il Cuore).
He works with La Repubblica, Il Fatto Quotidiano, and other international outlets. He has published several books, the most recent being Fine penna mai in 2013.
Alongside his editorial work, he has developed a distinctive artistic practice in painting, documented in numerous exhibitions and catalogues. Among the highlights are the pictorial cycle Commedia in Z.E.R.O., consisting of sixty works (catalogue); the virtual frieze Apotheosis of the Corrupt, projected onto the Ara Pacis and inspiring the book of the same name; and Teneri Barbari, created in collaboration with Jan Saudek (catalogue).
In 2011, he was invited to exhibit at the 54th Venice Biennale, within the Italian Pavilion. That same year, he presented the entire Commedia IN Z.E.R.O. series at the Spoleto Festival (catalogue). In 2012, he published the art book A. with Tricromia and held the solo show Notes for the Reconstruction of Beauty at the Gagliardi Gallery in San Gimignano.
In 2015, he held a dual exhibition titled ROPS + MANNELLI at the Philobiblon Gallery (catalogue), which was then hosted from March to June at the Ducal Palace in Urbino, curated by Vittorio Sgarbi. In January and February 2016, he held a solo exhibition at the Building Bridges Art Exchange in Los Angeles (catalogue).
He teaches at the European Institute of Design (IED) in Rome, where he coordinates the Department of Illustration and Animation.