Leo Lionni

Leo Lionni was an acclaimed author and illustrator, known best for his highly regarded children’s books. He was born in the Netherlands in 1910 to Dutch parents, and spent his childhood teaching himself to draw in Amsterdam’s museums. Although he initially pursued a degree in economics from the University of Genoa, his interest in art and design eventually took precedence over his business training.

After settling in Milan in 1931, Lionni began writing about European architecture for a local magazine and started to build connections in the graphic design world. He moved to America in 1939 and held various positions in advertising and magazine art direction, including at a Philadelphia advertising agency, the Olivetti Corporation of America, and Fortune magazine. Throughout this time, Lionni also continued to develop his reputation as an artist, exhibiting his paintings and drawings in galleries around the world.

Lionni launched his career as a children’s book author and illustrator in 1959, with his first book, Little Blue and Little Yellow. This book, which was originally developed from a story he had improvised for his grandchildren during a train ride, was just the beginning of a long list of children’s picture books that he would create over the course of his career. Lionni’s work in this field was widely recognized and celebrated, earning him four Caldecott Honor awards and the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal. He died in October 1999 at his home in Tuscany, Italy at the age of 89.