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Giorgio Forattini, Defining Italian Political Cartoonist, Dies at 94

His five-decade output reshaped Italian political satire through provocative first-page caricatures that repeatedly tested press freedom.

Overview

  • Forattini died in Milan at age 94, with Il Giornale first reporting the news on November 4.
  • He produced roughly 14,000 cartoons over nearly 50 years for major outlets including Paese Sera, Panorama, la Repubblica, La Stampa, Il Giornale, QN and L'Espresso.
  • His recurring caricatures turned political figures into enduring tropes, from Craxi as Mussolini and Spadolini nude to D’Alema as a Hitler-style communist and Prodi as a priest.
  • Legal battles marked his career, notably a conviction after a Craxi cartoon and the 1999 D’Alema lawsuit seeking 3 billion lire over a Mitrokhin vignette, later withdrawn and followed by his break with la Repubblica.
  • His work often ran on front pages and filled dozens of books that sold about 3.5 million copies, and in 2023 he donated his archive to the Triennale di Venezia.