From today, May 28th, until June 30th, 2026, the beautiful exhibition “Being Cappiello. Image, Memory, and the Formation of the Visual” opens to the public. This exhibition is dedicated to the history of the Academy and the legacy of Leonetto Cappiello.
Advertising poster by Leonetto Cappiello
Curated by Eleonora Sassoli and Simone Nannipieri, in collaboration with the Leonetto Cappiello Association and the Athena Art Gallery of Livorno, the exhibition not only pays homage to one of the pioneers of modern advertising graphics, as well as a highly refined designer, but also aims to offer a cultural journey in which two languages, that of the past and that of the modern, dialogue and interact.
With his powerful communicative impact and his dynamic, essential style, Leonetto Cappiello is the pioneer of the modern advertising poster. Born in Livorno in 1875, in his early twenties he moved to Paris, where he began collaborating with satirical magazines such as Le Dire and Le Figaro, establishing himself as one of the most sought-after illustrators of the time.
Drawings by Leonetto Cappiello
Cappiello revolutionized the concept of poster design. His posters no longer simply reproduced the product, but for the first time created a powerful and symbolic image, an image in which the artist empathized with the product itself, an image capable of remaining imprinted in the collective imagination to this day (consider, among all his splendid works, how iconic the Campari poster is).
Drawing by Leonetto Cappiello
The Academy’s spaces (Viale Michelangiolo, 19 in Florence) are transformed into a living museum, where rare works, documents, and posters by Leonetto Cappiello interact with over one hundred works from the Academy, including student projects, archival material, and videos.
Advertising poster by Leonetto Cappiello
The Academy, founded in 1956 by Gaetano Canessa, a painter and journalist, was established in Florence with the aim of training visual communication professionals. Throughout a journey begun seventy years ago, it has maintained its identity while adapting to the challenges of new technologies, with an increasingly contemporary vision.
“Being Cappiello celebrates the Academy’s seventieth anniversary and showcases the school as a living space for dialogue between historical memory and contemporary creativity. Leonetto Cappiello’s legacy continues to inspire new generations of designers and communicators today. This is why we wanted to create a journey where original works, archive materials, and student work coexist in the classrooms where the future of visual communication is shaped every day,” says Stefano Mingaia, Director of Studies at the Cappiello Academy.
It’s a very interesting exhibition, essential for those studying graphic design or communication, but also for all those, as I always say, who love beauty. Immersing ourselves in this exhibition journey takes us back to a past historical period we never experienced, but which, through these magnificent illustrations, seems possible to relive today.
Buona vita a tutti!
Beatrice