THE ARTIST AND FOUNDER OF THE OSPEDALI DIPINTI ART PROJECT
SILVIO IRILLI: THE 'ARTIST OF HOSPITALS
A biography that reads like the story of a movie, with twists and turns, falls and rises in pursuit of a dream where resourcefulness, professionalism, talent, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit have made SILVIO IRILLI, one of the most appreciated and esteemed Artists in the international contemporary Art scene.
1970
AS A CHILD I HAD A DREAM
in my early years I pursued the desire to become a painter. Pencils were sticks of magic, each sheet a new world to be invented.
The telephone, already red, rested on the table like a little beacon of expectation, I hoped it would ring, bringing with it requests, dreams, adventures to be painted.
So I grew up in a town in the Asti area, Villanova d’Asti, amidst the scent of tempera and the silence of waiting,
with my heart beating to the rhythm of color, and only one certainty: that life, like a canvas, would have meaning only if it was full of light.
1983
THE WRONG SCHOOL
“What school will you choose? What do you want to be when you grow up?”
The answer was clear, as clear as a spot of freshly laid paint: “A painter.”
But the adult’s voice, firm and rational, cut that certainty in two: “No, forget it. Choose a school that will give you a job.”
And so the dream became small, and took the form of a compromise. Following my classmates, I chose electronics school, but circuits did not conduct current to the heart. During classes I used to draw caricatures to the professor.
One day the drawing went from hand to hand, until it reached the principal’s hand, who summoned me to his office, then an unexpected flash of lightning:
“You’re in the wrong school, kid. You should be drawing for newspapers, for the Press, for Tuttosport…” A pat on the back, and a door closing behind.
I never went back to see the results: I already knew what my grade was.
In the meantime I went to work as a bricklayer, my hands dirty with lime and my dreams full of color to paint at the end of the day.
And then, finally, the right school. When I was seventeen, I found the art school I had hoped for in Turin: four subjects only, all dedicated to color, light, form. Three years to learn what the heart had always known.
And so the child’s dream came breathing again.
1990 THE MILITARY
After finishing school at 19 before leaving for the military I sent some drawings of footballers to the editorial staff of Tuttosport, the sports daily in Turin, dreaming of a publication one day. I left for the military: the first 30 days in Savona, and soon word of my portraits spread among my comrades. Dozens of requests came every day, and even the lieutenant colonel wanted to congratulate me. In Vercelli, surrounded by rice fields, my job was to put stamps on mountains of records. But the temptation to draw was too strong: behind a barrier of paperwork, each commissioned portrait was born. One day the marshal discovered my talent. He brought me photos of his daughters, asking for a portrait.
When I handed them to him, happy, he asked how much he had to pay me.
“Nothing, marshal … but if you want, let me come back on Monday night instead of Sunday.”
And so it was that my talent won not only smiles, but also small freedoms between the lines of military service.
1991
THE FIRST PUBLICATION
Remember when I sent some drawings of soccer players to the newspaper Tuttosport?
A week before I finished the military, a phone call came to my house from the management of Tuttosport: they were interested in a collaboration with my drawings!
The dream began in November 1991: when I was only 21 years old, I was the first artist to have a color work of mine on the entire front page of the sports daily Tuttosport, with which I would collaborate for 10 years.
1996
AQUAFAN, AN UNEXPECTED SUCCESS
In 1997 I decided to spend the summer in Cesenatico, supporting myself by drawing portraits and caricatures to tourists. However, it was mid-July, few people and little work. One morning I saw a flyer from Aquafan in Riccione and I had an idea: I proposed to the director, Claudio Villa, to make free caricatures for visitors, sponsored by the park.
They liked the idea and the next day I was there, with easel and pencils, at the Onde pool. Radio Deejay announced the initiative, and within minutes I was surrounded by a crowd of people waiting for my drawing.
It was a success: from that day on, my appointment at Aquafan became a fixture for two summers, with long lines of tourists who wanted a caricature as a souvenir of their day.
1998-2000
TICKLED ON RAI UNO
In 1998, during an afternoon break in front of “Solletico” on Rai Uno, while snacking on bread and Nutella, an idea came to me: to design a game for the program. Intrigued, I sent the proposal to the editorial staff. Ten days later they called me, and from that moment, every Tuesday and Thursday until 2000, I became the official cartoonist of Solletico, watched then by almost four million viewers.
2000
COMES THE INTERNET!
A technological revolution was upon us. When I discovered that the Internet could offer visibility to my art, I didn’t hesitate a moment: I immediately opened my first website. The idea that, while I slept, someone on the other side of the world could admire my work seemed simply extraordinary.
Remember the 56K modem? I knew that technology would evolve, and I was looking forward to it. I was certain that everything would become faster, that phones would be in color and connected, and that every person, everywhere in the world, could become a potential customer. This conviction gave me the strength to continue: I knew that the “good time” would come.
2003
THE DREAM SEEMS TO BE OVER
Until 2002 I continued to work for newspapers, then came a publishing crisis. After months without publishing, the money ran out: I could no longer pay rent and taxes.
One morning my father (who is no longer here today) came to my office and asked me how much I needed. “Seven hundred euros,” I answered. He took out his checkbook, handed me one and, smiling, said, “Ocio I am not a bank … let it not become a vice!”
I realized it was time to stop. I closed the business and got a job in a security door factory. I was assigned to the packaging department, dangerous to the hands of a draftsman. The workers looked at me incredulously, “But what are you doing here?”
I asked to work at night so that I could paint during the day. I would go in at 10 p.m. and leave at 6 a.m.; then, after a few hours of sleep, I would get in front of the canvas. With that salary I bought paints and canvases and organized a solo exhibition in Chieri (TO): it was a great success, with people lining up every day in front of the gallery.
2004
TWIST. CALL COMES IN FROM GIANNI RODARI FANTASY PARK
After a year in the factory, in 2003 I received a phone call from the director of the Gianni Rodari Park in Omegna: he proposed that I lead art workshops for school visits. It was a chance to start again, I left my job at the factory and accepted, moving to Lake Orta, an enchanting place.
With the children I painted the walls of the park inspired by Rodari’s stories and turned the workshops into small art shows. I learned to understand what really excited the children. My workshops greatly increased admissions and brought a new vision to the park.
Meanwhile I was painting large pictures, including portraits of Marco Pantani and Diego Maradona; Pantani’s painting was presented in Milan and bought by an admirer.
2006
ALL SEEMS TO BE OVER AGAIN BUT...
In 2006, the contract at the park was not renewed due to budget cuts, and I found myself out of a job. Looking at the last euros on the table, I had an idea: make themed bedroom sets and murals for children. I created a dedicated section on my website and printed 100 postcards to distribute in the premises. The next day the first requests came in, and before long I became first on the search engines, averaging 150 requests a month. The first little room was in Lodi: in four days I transformed the space into a magical environment, with enthusiastic customers. From there, the new adventure took off: every week a new city, from Florence to Milan, Rome, Naples, Turin… and meanwhile a big surprise was on the way.
2006
THE MEETING WITH MARADONA
It is 2006, in June. Diego Maradona was at Villa Crespi, in Orta, before leaving for the World Cup in Germany. During lunch they showed him on my website the painting I had dedicated to him and he wanted to meet me in person.
At 1:20 p.m. the phone rang: “Mr. Irilli, Maradona would like to see your painting today at Villa Crespi, can you come?” I lived in Omegna, twenty minutes away. I loaded the painting into my Peugeot 306, but it wouldn’t fit: a florist lent me his van and I drove off to the hotel.
Upon arrival, hundreds of people were outside waiting for him: the crowd opened up and I got in with the van. We unloaded the painting and shortly afterwards Maradona entered the room: with a smile and cigar in hand he said “Greatoo!!!” when I lifted the cloth.
He autographed the work and admired the details while I told him about the difficulties of bringing the painting up to him, making him laugh. It was a special afternoon, World, where I was struck by his humility and selflessness. We said goodbye with a hug that I will never forget.
2008
THE GRAND OPERA AT THE ATLANTA AQUARIUM
In 2007 I received a call from the United States: an Italian-American agent had seen my marine-themed murals and suggested I paint one in the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, the largest aquarium in the world. I immediately accepted and made a small mural near a staircase for school visits, garnering great acclaim among newspapers and television. locals. Entering through the main entrance, I noticed the huge ceiling of more than 300 square meters in the shape of a blue wave and proposed to turn it into an emotional installation for the nearly 3 million annual visitors. Six months later they called me back, “Are you ready to come back to Atlanta?” I answered yes. In April 2008, I began painting the ceiling with the moving platform, creating the “Aquarium in the Sky” that reflected the entire aquarium above the visitors’ heads. I completed the work in 40 days, surprising all the staff. During the final ceremony, the aquarium’s president, Bernie Marcus, greeted me warmly, “Silvio, you are great! Thank you for bringing your talent to our city.” In his presence, I signed my work under the completed work.
2011 THE REQUEST FROM THE GEMELLI POLYCLINIC IN ROME
Back in Italy, I continued to paint murals for private individuals, until in 2011 I received an email from Dr. Luca Tagliaferri of Policlinico Gemelli in Rome: he asked me to transform a small corridor in the Radiation Oncology Department with the theme of the sea, dolphins and turtles. I agreed, on the condition that the work be financed through fundraising and not paid for by the hospital. In fifteen days, thanks to a play organized by the Romanini Association, the necessary funds were raised. While visiting the ward, I saw the gray radiotherapy bunkers and proposed that they be themed to provide a more welcoming experience for patients and doctors. The crowdfunding campaign was very successful and two months later the first bunker was completed.
2012
PAINTED HOSPITALS PROJECT IS BORN
Seeing children with cancer face not only the disease but also the experience of gray wards, I decided to create a dedicated project: Painted Hospitals(www.ospedalidipinti.it). The social pages immediately had a great response and the website was constantly updated.
Every year at Policlinico Gemelli we added a new themed bunker, until we transformed the project into the Gemelli A.R.T. (Advanced Radiation Therapy) program, which was presented to the international press in 2017. Over 12 years, more than 10,000 square meters of hospitals have been decorated in 36 facilities throughout Italy, including Policlinico Gemelli in Rome, Gaslini in Genoa, Ospedale Pediatrico Buzzi in Milan, polyclinics in Padua, Messina, Bologna, hospitals in Salerno, Taranto, Lecce, Naples, Brescia, Mantua, and pediatric facilities in Parma, Alessandria, and Chieri.
2024 PAINTED HOSPITALS TOLD IN SCHOOLS
Today I am telling the Painted Hospitals project in elementary schools and high schools, telling children and adolescents how art can transform spaces, bring comfort and support those facing difficult times. With my stories and examples and a surprise workshop, I try to convey a message of sensitivity, empathy and creativity, showing how even an artistic gesture can make a difference in the lives of others.
2025
PAINTED HOSPITALS PRESENTED AT NEW YORK ONU
On June 11, 2025, I had the honor of being invited by the Minister for Disabilities, Alessandra Locatelli, to present the Painted Hospitals project at the UN in New York. Getting on that stage, in front of representatives from all over the world, was an incredible emotion: being able to tell how art can bring comfort, color and humanity to hospital wards was a moment of great pride and responsibility. The initiative received great international interest and appreciation, confirming that a project born out of a desire to help children and families can have a global impact, transforming spaces and lives with the power of art.
