If Piaggio would have published a child's book in the 50ies, then it probably would have looked like "Enrico Vespa." Because the drawings for the book came from Elena Pongiglione.
She designed all the advertisements for Piaggio between 1956 and 1964. In the mid-1960ies hand-drawed graphics were displaced by photos.
50 years later, in the digital-age, comes now this book. It is a tribune to the good old graphic time at Piaggio.

Elena Pongiglione

Professor Elena Pongiglione designed all the advertisements for Piaggio between 1956 and 1964. What is especially remarkable is that she was only 22 years old when she received her first commission in 1956. The young artist came to the attention of Piaggio after winning several of Italy´s most prestigious art awards (such as the “Diomira”, Milan, 1955 – 1956). In the fifties Elena Pongiglione´s appointment as chief graphic artist was a sensation: not only was she young, but also a woman! For some of the “weathered” males within Piaggio´s advertisement department this was an unacceptable situation – so afterwards her signature simply “disappeared” from some of her artwork!
In 1969 she published the book “La Vespa nel Cinema”, together with her husband, the renowned Italian Journalist Dr. Claudio G. Fava.

We are greatly honoured that Elena Pongiglione has drawed Enrico’s Vespa. Our book also gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to her outstanding designs. To this day there is no graphic artist that has created more for Piaggio. Elena Pongiglione has received numerous international art awards, her work has been exhibited all over the world.