Paolo Rui

Board member of the Leonardo da Vinci Foundation, is an artist, illustrator and designer acting in Italy and Taiwan.
He graduated at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and thanks to a Fulbright scholarship he proceeded with his studies at Art Center College of Design in California.
He’s been President of the Italian Association of Illustrators and of the European Illustrators Forum and sits now in the latter’s Executive Board.
He teaches at IED in Milan, Novalia Art Academy and the International School of Comics.
He has received several awards for his work and participated in many solo and group exhibitions in Italy, Taiwan, China and elsewhere, including one at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Taichung, Taiwan.

EXHIBITIONS

Some of my works have been displayed in various exhibitions in Italy, France, Greece, Cuba, Hungary, England, USA, Iran and Taiwan. A few works are now part of private collections and one is included in the collection of the Granatieri di Sardegna Historical Museum in Rome.

Recent exhibitions include:
2022 – “Listen to Animals – 聽牠說”- (ce) 一諾藝術 INNO ART Gallery, Zhubei, Taiwan
● “The Emperor’s landing” (ce), Gioconda Micromuseum, Cadero
● “Illusboom Illustration Festival” (ce), Shenzhen Nantou Gucheng, China
● “Art Taipei” (ce), Taipei, Taiwan
2021 – “Monalisa unveiled” (ce), Gioconda Micromuseum, Cadero
● “Milan: destination nature” (ce), Unimaginable Milano, Milano
● “Aforismi d’Arte – Art Aphorisms” (ce), Ponte degli Artisti, Milano
2020 – “Leonardo da Vinci – il mito della Gioconda in Val Veddasca” (ce), Maccagno
2019 – “Letter to the Land – 一封來自土地的信”, Yumuseum, Xi Liping, Zhuolan – Taiwan
● Summer Story – (ce) 一諾藝術 INNO ART Gallery, Zhubei, Taiwan
● Points of View觀 點 – Xiao Rusong Art Park Songhe, Zhudong Town, Taiwan
● “Milano Postcards Extra” (ce) – Galleria V.Emanuele II, Milan
● “La donna, il mito, la fantasia – Omaggio a Pippa Bacca” (ce) – Repart, Milan
● “Idee in Fuga” (ce) – BASE, Milan
● “Pop Art Protest – Banksy vs. Bansky” (ce) – Repart, Milan
● Points of View觀 點– Taichung Jade market – Tian-Mu square, Taichung, Taiwan
2018 – “Posters of TROY” (ce) – Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey
● REPART – Take away Art for Christmas (ce) – Repart, Milano
● “20 artists for a Noble project” (ce) – Maccagno, Italy
● “Kaiju King” (ce) – Dada Boom, Viareggio, Italy
● Points of View – Hungquang University Art Center, Taichung, Taiwan
● Milano Postcards (ce) – Centro Culturale Giuseppe Verdi, Segrate, Milan
● Lake Art ‘ Lo spirito del lago – Spirit of the lake’’ – Dongo, Como
● Milano Postcards (ce) – Galleria V.Emanuele II, Milan
● Paolo Rui at Changhua Run Art Festival, White Cube Cafe, Changhua, Taiwan
● Il Vignaiolo Universale – Villa Necchi Campiglio, Milan
2017 – Annual Illustratori 2017 – Laboratorio Formentini, Milano (ce)
● “Yún fēitiān – Flying Clouds” – Arts Dot 2, Taichung, Taiwan (ce)
● “168” – Xianheng Hall Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
● “グループ展 Kajiu-ou the Monster King“, Livorno, Italy (ce)
● Future Printmaking – AHM Gallery, Taipei – Taiwan (ce)
● Diritti a Colori – Fondazione Malagutti – Sala Borsa, Bologna (ce)
2016 – “Island”, “島”– Let’s Art Gallery, Puli, Taiwan
● Coincidences (巧 合) – Xianheng Hall Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
● Educa (ce) – Palazzo Istruzione – Rovereto
● Milano Postcards (ce) – Spazio Lambrate, Milan
2015 – HOME? – 翊綺藝術 – White Cube Cafe’, Changhua – Taiwan
● IMAGES for CLIMATE! – Associazione Autori di Immagini FB page (ce)
● Monkey business – Open Box Art Stage, Taichung, Taiwan
● HOME? – 翊綺藝術 – Let’s Art Gallery – Puli – Taiwan
● Cartografie dell’Immaginario (ce) – Pad. Chiarini Carletti, La Quercia, Viterbo
2014 – Diritti a Colori (ce) – Casa Mantegna – Mantua
● Brand Art (ce) – Palazzo Isimbardi – Milan
● Where do I dream? – Open Box Art Gallery, Taichung – Taiwan
● Flights of Fancy 翊綺藝術 – YouYishu Art Gallery – Puli – Taiwan
● Rione Cassero…in comics! (ce) – Palazzo Gentili Spinola, Foligno
● Grimm Press (a retrospective) – National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts – Taichung, Taiwan
● Art or Craft or somewhere in between? – Hsiuping University of Science and Technology – Dali, Taichung, Taiwan
2013 – Diritti a Colori (ce) – Palazzo Te’ – Mantua
● Annual Illustratori 2013 (ce) – Sala San Leonardo, Cannaregio – Venice
● Aerial Inspiration – Open Box Art Gallery, Taichung – Taiwan – Paolo Rui at Musterring Store – Taichung Taiwan
● Equilibrium – Anadema Hair Stylists – Milan
2012 – Occasional Dimorphisms – Anadema – Milan
● Annual Illustratori 2012 (ce) – Sala San Leonardo, Cannaregio – Venice
● Movements – Open Box Art Gallery – Taichung, Taiwan
● Traveller’s metamorphosis (ce) – Stelline Art Gallery – Milan
2011 – Milano in Bilico (Milan on the wobble) – Spazio Arte Tolomeo – Milan
● Open Box (ce) – Open Box Art Gallery – Taichung, Taiwan
● Annual Illustratori 2011 (ce) – NABA – Milan
● ‘Flight’ – 4 artists live painting performance – Milan
● Made in Taiwan (ce) – La Cornice bookstore – Cantu’, Italy
2010 – Paolo Rui – Canottieri Milano Sport Club – Milan
● TNAU Exhibition (ce) – Taiwan New Arts Union Gallery – Tainan, Taiwan
● Annual Illustratori 2010 -(ce) – Hoepli Bookstore – Milan
(ce) – Collective exhibition

AWARDS

● Second Prize at the “Global Panda Illustration Competition” – Shenzhen Illustrators Association 2021;
● Third prize at Lake Art Award, ‘Spirito del Lago – Spirit of the Lake’ painting contest, Dongo, Como 2018;
● Special LYRA-FILA Award for best image made in traditional techniques, AI Annual 2017;
● Gold Medal Award in the “Self-promotion” section of AI Annual 2016;
● Gold Medal Award in the “Exhibitions” section of AI Annual 2015;
● ‘Awardeo’ Award for the video “Where do we go from here” on Vimeo, Sept. 2014;
● Second Prize at the International Illustration Competition “Colourful Rights – We are the future” 2014;
● First Prize at the international illustration competition “Beyond the line” 2010; 
● Mention at the international illustration competition Bimbi Volanti (Flying Kids) 2008;
● Junior Library Guild 2009 for my book “Galileo and the Leaning Tower experiment” Charlesbridge Publishing, US;
● Italian Illustration Awards, Annual 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 e 2022;
● II prize at the International Illustration Competition Torino City of Culture 2002;
● MEDIASTARS Prize 1996 for best billboard advertising illustration for NEC;
● Best Editorial Illustration Award Annual 2 – 1995;
● special award for the illustration competition “Coop: 150 years’ co-operation” 1995;
● twice selected for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 1999-2000.

CLIENTS

Publishing

Grimm Press, Yuan Liou, Tian Xia and Cinken – Taiwan, Charlesbridge Publishing – USA, Carthusia Edizioni, Mondadori, Sperling & Kupfer, Cideb-Black Cat, PBM, De Agostini, EDT, Marsilio – Italy, and others. My books have been published and re-published in Taiwan, USA, Korea, Japan, Switzerland, Israel, Brasil, China, Russia and Italy.

Advertising

I have cooperated with advertising agencies in both Italy and Taiwan, for clients such as Peugeot, Alfa Romeo, FIAT, IBM, Audi, Mercedes, Volvo, Volkswagen, NEC, South African Airlines, Panasonic, Dr.Scholl’s, Lancome, Taiwan Folk Village amusement park, Leo Foo Village Theme Park, Mattel, Clarks, Henkel, Disney, Heineken, San Pellegrino, Coca Cola, Danone, Gardaland, Speedo, Schweppes, Skype, Sony and more.

Non Governmental Organisations

WWF, Emergency, Action Aid, the Jane Goodall Institute – Taiwan, The United Euro Bridge – UK, FuBon Art Foundation – Taiwan, AIL – Italian Leukemia Association, LILA – Italian AIDS Association, Animal Amnesty and others.

Animation

I have collaborated with a few advertising companies in Italy and Taiwan in the making of short animations for TV and web, for clients such as Henkel, Bostik and Fubu store and worked on some personal projects now visible on Youtube.

TEACHING

• Teacher of introduction to professional practices in visual communication at Milano’s IED European Design Institute,  Libera Accademia d’Arte Novalia and Scuola Internazionale di Comics
• Teacher of Conceptual Illustration at Milano’s European Design Institute since 2004
• Professional tutoring and advisor for the Italian Association of Illustrators AI since 2009
• Speaker on professional issues and fair practices for authors and illustrators at Bologna Children’s Book Fair for the Italian Illustrators Association and the European Illustrators Forum since 2004.