Guido Crepax's (1933-2003) graphic novel Lanterna Magica (1979) is an outstanding example of the psychedelic eroticism for which he became famed in the late 1960s through his character Valentina, who is portrayed here in a complex world of hallucinatory and sexual dreamworlds. Housed in a canvas box, and printed on ivory paper, this large-format limited edition of Lanterna Magica is published in three iterations, each featuring a numbered silkscreen authenticated by the Archivio Guido Crepax and an artistic plate created and signed by the celebrated comic artist Lorenzo Mattotti.
The Dolls print, edition numbers 1-100, depicts atypical imagery of multiple figures; Imitations, edition numbers 101-200, shows Valentina facing her doppelganger; and Reflection, edition numbers 201-300, portrays Valentina dreaming in bed.
The first edition was introduced by a text by Gillo Dorfles, which is here published in its entirety and which repositions the Valentina series within Crepax's work and the context of its time.