Graphic novel: Guide jaune pour conduire un taxi à New York

By Lucio Schiavon

Guide jaune pour conduire un taxi a New York is a three-part graphic novel: a series of colourful portraits of New Yorkers, a black-and-white illustrated poem, and a tribute to Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi.

• first work published in Quebec by the renowned Venetian illustrator
• magnificent product printed and bound as if it came from the artist’s own studio
• three interwoven stories full of poetry and humanity
• an ode to the power of imagination in the age of mass tourism
• drawn entirely by hand

This is a book imbued with poetry, irony, graphic freedom. The three parts are linked by the great sensitivity of Lucio Schiavon’s gaze, which manages to convey the essence of a city, without ever having set foot in New York. It is therefore an imaginary and at the same time very real journey that reminds us that, in an age when every place is reachable and all information is available in an instant, imagination does not lose its power. Gorgeous large-format book with exposed binding; printed on ivory textured paper that showcases the illustrations, all drawn completely by hand. A feast for the eyes of illustration enthusiasts!

1. In the first part, each character offers us a very personal vision of the city. The cinematographic and literary references are abundant and humorous. Each drawing is interspersed with objects and details that play an essential role in the portrait of the city. Iconic, like the characters, these are chosen with great finesse.
2. The black and white pages take us to the hidden spaces of New York, on its rooftops, around water cisterns, to meet mysterious characters who live in the cracks of the city.
3. The third section of the book is an intimate journey into the artistic life and thought of Isamu Noguchi, whose works have become an integral part of the New York cityscape. His studio and the raw materials that inhabit it come to life thanks to quotes that bring us to the very heart of the creative process.

About Lucio Schiavon

Lucio Schiavon is an illustrator and graphic designer born in Venice. He has collaborated with Fabrica (Benetton creativity incubator), La Biennale di Venezia, Armando Testa Agency. He has illustrated books for the publisher Nuages in Milan and exhibited at the Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa in Venice. With two different animated short films, he won International Motion Art Award in New York and Berlin Interfilm Festival Short Movie in 2015. In 2019 opened his first personal exhibition “Città Immaginarie” at the prestigious Nuages Gallery in Milan.