Twelve giant marbles dedicated to the heroes of cycling will invade four squares in Lucca on the occasion of the return of the Giro d’Italia, 40 years after Francesco Moser’s victory. The large marbles dedicated to the heroes of cycling made their appearance in Piazza San Michele, in Piazzale Verdi and in front of the Caffè delle Mura, on the occasion of the return of the Giro d’Italia, 40 years after Francesco Moser’s victory. Soon we will also see them in Piazza San Francesco. From 3 to 12 May, the exhibition “Karl Kopinski: Wearing the Pink” in the spaces of the Church of San Franceschetto.
On the occasion of the return of the Giro d’Italia, 40 years after Francesco Moser’s victory, Lucca turns pink. In fact, the first large installations dedicated to the pedal heroes appeared today in Piazza San Michele, Piazzale Verdi and in front of the Caffè delle Mura. Huge transparent and colored marbles, up to six meters high, to celebrate a beautiful sport in the manner of Lucca Comics & Games, recalling the games that many played and still play on the beach. The installations reproduce some of the works created by the English artist Karl Kopinski, which will be included in the new exhibition “Karl Kopinski: Wearing the Pink” which can be visited from 3 to 12 May in the church of San Franceschetto. A great cycling enthusiast and historical friend of Lucca Comics & Games, Kopinski has created a series of portraits including the unforgettable Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Francesco Moser, Marco Pantani, Eddy Merckx and contemporary champions Mark Cavendish, Bob Jungels, Bradley Wiggins and Tadej Poga?ar. The exhibition, which can be visited with free admission, will be inaugurated on Friday 3 May at 5pm (Kopinski will also be present) and was created thanks to the support of partner companies who enthusiastically embraced the project from its inception, starting with CMON (a leading company in the sector game and great friends of Karl Kopinski himself and of Lucca Comics & Games), who created the official catalogue, which can be purchased in the exhibition spaces: “Collaborating with Lucca Crea on this exhibition is an exceptional opportunity to show a new side of the talent of Karl, an artist who influenced the entire world of gaming with his works.” says David Preti, Chief Operating Officer of CMON. And then again Fosber, who got involved by creating the installations and through Nicolò Giusti, Marketing and Communications Manager, remembers: “When this completely ‘out of the box’ initiative was presented to us which, by enhancing the territory of Lucca, unites transmediality, fantasy, history, culture and sport, we immediately understood its value and wanted to be part of it, to pay homage to the transition to pink. The exhibition ‘Karl Kopinski: Wearing the Pink’ and the twelve artistic installations are an innovative way to bring us closer even those who don’t follow it are at the Giro d’Italia, and at the same time an invitation for those who don’t know it to discover Fantasy art, in a contamination between two worlds that turn out to be not so distant but rather united in art by Karl. It is therefore a pleasure to be a partner in this project and it is an honor to be able to greet the Giro d’Italia in such a creative way.” Finally, thanks to the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Foundation, Grimaldi Impianti, Paolini Digital Print and Sport Promotion. for supporting the entire working group and making everything possible. Karl Kopinski_BIO From the Lucca Comics & Games poster to two wheels: author of the Lucca Comics & Games 2015 poster, which saw him as the protagonist at Palazzo Ducale with the “Grand Tour Kopinski” exhibition, the Nottingham artist works in the he has been illustrating since 1997. He has collaborated with Peter Jackson, Sir Paul Smith, Hasbro, Ubisoft, Aboud Creative, Sixmorevodka, Wizards of the Coast (“Magic: the Gathering”) Games Workshop (“Warhammer”), Disney, CMON, Factor Bikes and Nike. In 2023, he was the author of the Grog, Lucca Games’ mascot which every 10 years is revisited by the most iconic artist of the moment.
