Beni Montresor

Beni Montresor, Photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1964.

Beni Montresor (born 31 March 1926 in Bussolengo, Italy; died 11 October 2001 in Verona, Italy) was a versatile Italian artist, opera and film director, set designer, author and children's book illustrator. He won the 1965 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing May I Bring a Friend?. The Italian government knighted him in 1966 for his contributions to the arts.

Career

Montresor was particularly known in the United States as a designer of sets, lighting and costumes for opera. He designed sets and costumes for the American premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's opera, The Last Savage at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina. He also designed the evocative and ephemeral scenery and lighting for the Washington Opera/New York City Opera revival of the Montemezzi opera The Love of Three Kings in 1981. He was the Artistic Director of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in 1988-1989. He directed two films, Pilgrimage (1972), starring Cliff De Young and fr (1975), starring Lucia Bose. He was also a stage and film set designer with commissions from La Scala, Spoleto, the Glyndebourne Festival, the New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera for productions like La Gioconda, Esclarmonde, The Last Savage, The Daughter of the Regiment, L'Elisir d'Amore (Metropolitan Opera), Aida and The Magic Flute (New York City Opera). Montresor worked with film directors Federico Fellini, Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini among others.

External links

• Beni Montresor papers, 1953-1999 (bulk 1970-1989), held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts