Gino D'Achille

Gino D'Achille (Rome, 1935 - London, 2017) was an Italian illustrator who worked in Rome, Milan, London, Germany and France throughout his lifetime.

Born in Rome in 1935, D’Achille displayed a precocious artistic talent from a young age. At age 13, he attended Rome’s Liceo Artistico, and later studied at the city’s University of Architecture. While still a student he began producing advertising illustrations for Studio Favalli. At this time the Favalli brothers ran the publicity department at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, employing many illustrators and commercial artists.

When the Favalli studios folded in the late 1950s, D’Achille moved to Milan working with the D’Ami studio which had a large number of British clients. In 1964, D’Achille moved to London, scouted by London agents. An early commission in London was illustrating David Kossoff's Bible Stories published by WM Collins.

D’Achille is well known for his illustrations for the John Carter of Mars science fiction series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first published by Ballantine Books in 1973. He went on to produce more than 100 paintings for other sci-fi titles produced by other publishing houses. D’Achille is also recognised, however, for his illustrations for war stories, westerns, romance novels, children's books and adventure stories including his distinctive covers for the George MacDonald Fraser series. A characteristic D’Achille style for book illustrations consists of muted, hazy backgrounds from which dramatic, fantastical scenes spring.

In addition to book illustration D’Achille was a frequent contributor to magazines and continued to work for animation companies in London, Germany and France.

For much of his later life he divided his time between London and Corsica. He died at his London home in February 2017.

http://www.ginodachille.com/about-gino/

http://theartofbarsoom.blogspot.com.es/2011/01/gino-dachille.html

http://infinispace.net/2013/11/the-art-of-gino-d-achille/