This refined pictorial map, elegantly titled “Vini d’Italia,” represents a precious example of Italian promotional cartography from the mid-seventies. Published on December 31, 1975, by the National Institute for Foreign Trade (I.C.E.) on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the work was created to celebrate and promote Italy’s vast viticultural heritage through a visual language that combines geographical precision with artistic flair. The image stands out for its lively and narrative approach, where the Italian “boot” is not a mere administrative outline, but a mosaic teeming with life, traditions, and colors.
The pictorial aspect is the true protagonist of the composition: each region is animated by detailed vignettes that evoke the deep identity of the territory. Small drawings of medieval towers, perched castles, laborers in the fields, and folkloric symbols dot the landscape, creating a visual narrative that goes beyond the simple indication of grape varieties. The seas surrounding the peninsula are populated by mythological creatures, sailing ships, and vintage compass roses, echoing the style of ancient nautical charts and lending the whole piece a timeless charm. In the upper right corner, a majestic chalice filled with wine frames the title, topped by a whimsical figure raising a toast, as if inviting the observer to share in Italian conviviality. Analyzing the production areas in detail, the map offers a survey of the names that have shaped the history of Italian enology. In the heart of Piedmont, the names Barolo and Barbaresco stand out with pride, while moving towards Tuscany, the geography becomes dense around Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico. Veneto is celebrated through Soave and Valpolicella, while moving towards the center, we find Verdicchio in the Marche and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. The South and the islands are equally highlighted: Campania shines with Aglianico del Vulture and Taurasi, Sicily with Etna and the historic Marsala, and Sardinia with Cannonau and Malvasia di Bosa. This map is therefore not just a technical document on controlled designations of origin (D.O.C.), but an invitation to travel and discover an Italy that, as early as 1975, knew how to turn its agricultural diversity into a banner of global excellence.
Oscar Conti, universally known by the pseudonym Oski, was one of the most original and cultured figures in 20th-century humorous drawing and illustration. Born in Buenos Aires in 1914 to a family of Italian origin, he studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts, where he refined a technique based on a delicate, almost calligraphic line, capable of combining apparent naivety with sharp and deeply intellectual satire. His career took off in the 1940s in Argentina, where he collaborated with the famous magazine “Rico Tipo” and created the character Amarroto, establishing a style that eschewed conventional caricature in favor of a critical and subtle surrealism.
His connection to Italy became central in the second half of his life, especially when he decided to move to Europe between the late 1960s and early 1970s. During this period, his artistic output found fertile ground in Milan and Rome, leading him to collaborate with prestigious publications such as “L’Europeo” and “Linus,” and with national institutions on high-profile communication campaigns, such as the famous wine map created for the National Institute for Foreign Trade. His artistic vision stood out for its ability to reinterpret historical documents, scientific texts, and ancient chronicles, transforming technical data and classical narratives into grotesque scenarios populated by bewildered little men, fantastical creatures, and bizarre details.
Oski was not merely an illustrator, but a true visual anthropologist who observed humanity with a detached and ironic gaze, often imbued with a cosmic pessimism tempered by playfulness. His work has influenced entire generations of illustrators thanks to a unique visual synthesis, where the rigor of spatial composition clashed with the absurdity of the situations depicted. He passed away in Buenos Aires in 1979, leaving behind a body of work that continues to be studied and admired for its ability to make people smile and think simultaneously, elevating comics and commercial illustration to the rank of high and universal art.
