Drago (publisher)

Drago was founded in 2001 by Paulo Lucas von Vacano as publisher,[3][4] following years working as an Italian-German journalist and president of the Castelvecchi Publishing Company, Posse of Antonio Negri and Aspenia Magazine of The Aspen Institute.[6] He was joined by Domitilla Sartogo as executive director[5] and Nicola Veccia Scavalli as art director.

In the same year, the company published its first book, Brice Marden's Brice Marden: Opere Su Carta 1964-2001[7][8] which was followed by the publication of Ed Templeton's The Golden Age of Neglect in 2002. As well as selling out quickly,[9] this title became the professional skateboarder's best-known book.[10]

In 2002 Drago organized the Via Crucis by Andres Serrano, an exhibition, curated by Marianna Vecellio and Angela Dorazio in the converted church Santa Marta al Collegio Romano in Rome. In 2003 Drago took part to "Now Underground", an international exhibition curated by Cecilia Nesbit and for which Drago published its catalogue. In 2005 DRAGO releases La Transavangardia Italiana, a book on the Italian Neo-expressionism by Achille Bonito Oliva, with artists Mimmo Paladino, Francesco Clemente, Sandro Chia, Enzo Cucchi, Nicola De Maria and directs and produces the exhibition Kennedy: The Family, Values and History at the Temple of Hadrian in Rome. In 2007 Drago curates and organizes Jeremy Fish’s exhibition Rome-Antic Delusions with artworks especially created by the artist in Rome for the exhibition. Its homonymous catalogue soon became a cult object. In 2007 Drago published Muerte, the first book on Mike Giant. The book was one of Amazon’s best sellers for several seasons. During the years Drago has published several best seller as Young Sleek and Full of Hell by Aaron Rose with interventions by artists such as Terry Richardson, Chloë Sevigny, Mark Gonzales, Carlo McCormick, Harmony Korine, Oliver Zaham, Ryan McGinley, Ari Marcopoulos, Rita Ackermann, Barry McGee, Phil Frost and Bruce Labruce. In 2007 Drago also published Heroes by Adrian Tranquilli, the catalog of the artist's exhibition at the Galleria Stefania Miscetti in Rome.

More recently, Drago's books have included Miss Van's Wild at Heart; Estevan Oriol's LA Woman[11][12] and Boogie's Ah Wah do Dem, a book that received a score of 9.6/10 in a recent Street Hunters review.[13] Among other notable books are Letizia Battaglia’s Anthology, which has been mentioned on CNN,[14] BBC News,[15] The Wall Street Journal[16] and The Daily Beast.,[17] and the catalogue "Per Pura Passione", produced in a bilingual edition of the homonymous exhibition at MAXXI, National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome.

Drago has worked alongside many exhibitors of contemporary art. As the publisher of The French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici, it has been in charge of all publications for exhibitions and artists-in-residence[2] and published many books with its director and art historian, Eric de Chassey.[18] such as "Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres / Ellworth Kelly", the homonymous catalog of the exhibition whose works by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres come from the Louvre museum and from the private collection of Ellsworth Kelly.

Amongst the publications for The French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici is the famous Europunk, The Visual Culture of Punk in Europe, 1976-1980, the first anthology of its kind documenting punk subculture. In 2011 Drago realized From Style Writing to Art – a Street Art Anthology with the French curator Magda Danysz. In 2012 Drago published The Wrinkles of the City Shanghai [19] and The Wrinkles of the City Los Angeles[20] by the artist JR. In 2013 Drago realized LA Portraits, the second project with the photographer Estevan Oriol.

Elsewhere, the company has collaborated with the Outdoor Festival in Rome to produce a five-year catalogue of their exhibitions[21] and the Dorothy Circus Gallery in Rome to create a trilogy of books documenting over three years of exhibitions dedicated to the Lowbrow art movement[22][23] and Hello Here I Am, the first anthology of the Japanese artist Kazuki Takamatsu.

Among other clients are Nike, The L'Orèal Group, Danesi, The City of Rome, 55DSL, Alcatel and Bulgari.

Drago's most recent project has been an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome. Curated by Paulo Lucas von Vacano and Christian Omodeo, Cross the Streets recounts 40 years of street art and graffiti writing in Rome and beyond. It hosts 200 artworks from a number of artists ranging from Shepard Fairey to DAIM including some that came to the museum specifically to produce artwork for the exhibition.[24]

In 2018 Drago gave birth to This Is Los Angeles by Estevan Oriol[25] and Art From the Streets, the catalogue of French gallerist Magda Danysz’s homonymous exhibition.[26]

During the 58th Art Biennale – 2019 – Venice, titled "May You Live in Interesting Times",[27] DRAGO brings to life to the Bahrain Pavilion, with the exhibition "The Wait: Contemporary Artists from Bahrain".[28] In 2019 Drago published Crash Kid, A Hip Hop Legacy[29] 

In 2020 Crossroads, a Glimpse into the Life of Alice Pasquini, the first anthology of the worldwide renown Street Artist Alicè, who has been elected artist of the year by Rai Radio Tre.[30] Drago also collaborates with the organization "Susan G. Komen Italia" for the creation of a mural, entrusted to Alice Pasquini,[31] on the theme of breast cancer treatment and prevention, scheduled during the annual event "Komen: Race for the Cure".

In April, author Drago Estevan Oriol climbed Netflix's Top Ten in the United States with "LA Originals",[32] a documentary created with Mister Cartoon on Chicano culture becoming a global artistic phenomenon.

In 2021 Drago publishes "B.A.D .: Beautiful and Determined", a book focused on the concept of beauty and self- acceptance. The book, result of decades of photographic research by the authors Erika Zanatta and Alessandra Tisato, is a manifesto on the empowerment of women and non-binary people. In the same year, on the occasion of the launch of the Red Valentino Spring / Summer 2021 campaign,[33] Drago created the monographic volume "Stazione Termini Lookbook 2009-2021" with the author of the campaign directed by Pierpaolo Piccioli, Niccolò Berretta. For more than ten years Niccolò Berretta has photographed people in the largest train station in Rome. Following the media coverage, including the Financial Times,[34] the volume was presented at LMDS, Le Monde de SHC in Shanghai and during the Pop Up Black Tag events in the concept stores in Rome and Milan.

"Neapolis" is the latest catalog published by Drago with the international photographer Boogie, a collector's photographic book on Naples with more than 80 black and white images and with the introduction of Luchè. "Street Life" is the first book by director and screenwriter Brad Mirman that explores the universe of Los Angeles from a unique and symbolic point of view. With more than one hundred black and white shots, photographer Brad Mirman shows us a West Coast never seen before, powerful and genuine, through timeless images that tell an emotion. From 8 to 10 October Drago participated as creative director and communication agency of the 21st edition of the International Tattoo Expo in Rome.[35]

In October 2021 Drago made Janette Beckman's monograph entitled "Rebels: From Punk to Dior". The book contains photos of the pioneers of the Hip hop movement such as Salt-N-Pepa, Run DMC, Grand Master Flash, Slick Rick e LL Cool J. In December Rebels was elected among the Books of the Year 2021 by the Rough Trade Center of New York. The Fotografiska Museum presented the volume as well as the Dior store in New York with the creation of a limited edition print. Among the media that have been involved in advertising appear The Guardian, Forbes, Fox5, VMagazine.

In the second semester of the 2021's academic year, Paulo von Vacano, publisher and CEO Drago, during the Fashion Studies degree course at Sapienza Università di Roma, held several "Luxury and High Fashion Brand Communication" lessons together with Professor Paolo Cenciarelli, bringing as case studies, various project experiences of his publishing house.

On December 8, 2021, Drago inaugurated, at the National Galleries of Ancient Art in Rome, the exhibition "Giuseppe Loy. A certain Italy. Photographs 1959-1981",[36] curated by Chiara Agradi and Angelo Loy. The catalog contains the texts of Edoardo Albinati, writer, Chiara Agradi, art historian, Luca Massimo Barbero, director of the Institute of Art History of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Bruno Corà, president of the Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Emilio Garroni, philosopher, Margherita Guccione, director of MAXXI Architettura, Angelo Loy, president of the Giuseppe Loy Photographic Archive, Rosetta Loy, writer, Alice Rohrwacher, director.

In April 2022 Drago created the "Jago" catalog for the first anthological exhibition of the eponymous sculptor at Palazzo Bonaparte (Rome). Jago—pseudonym of Jacopo Cardillo, but universally known as "The Social Artist"—represents the emblem of the contemporary artist who blends talent, attention to the tradition and tragic elements, with themes viscerally linked to the spirit of our times and made accessible thank to his innate communicative ability, which has generated his great success on social media and mass media.

In May of the same year, in Nancy, France, the Galerie Poirel, in collaboration with the mayor of the city of Nancy and the Musee des Beaux-Arts, organised the first major solo exhibition of Alexone Dizac within an institutional space. The exhibition showcased the most significant works of one of the leading figures in French Street Art, and DRAGO was responsible for producing the catalogue titled "A Coeur Ouvert".

Considering the sudden success of the book "Rebels, From Punk to Dior" by the renowned English photographer Janette Beckman, in 2022 Drago launched a second edition, this time in softcover, to coincide with the artist's European tour in the autumn. Subsequent events took place in New York and Paris at Dior stores, The Photographers' Gallery in London, and the International Centre of Photography in New York.

In collaboration with the University of Bologna and the Rodrigo Pais Archive, Drago produced the first comprehensive catalogue of Rodrigo Pais, titled "Rodrigo Pais, Sguardi sulla Moda, Fotografie dagli anni Cinquanta" (which translates to “Glimpses of Fashion, Photographs from the 1950’s” a collection of fashion photographs from the 1950’s by Rodrigo Pais). Featuring texts by Chiara Pompa, Bianca Cappello (jewellery historian and critic), Glenda Furini, Simona Segre-Reinach, Vittoria Caterina Caratozzolo, Guido Gambetta (Scientific Director of the "Fondo Fotografico Rodrigo Pais" collection (a collection of photographs associated with Rodrigo Pais), and Francesco Citti (President of the University Library of Bologna), the volume collects precious testimonies of Pais, a fashion photographer who analysed the evolution of Italian society in the second half of the last century, recounting unconventional moments from our recent past.

Drago then published "Armando, la furia del Quadraro" ("Armando, the Fury of the Quadraro"), the first book by photographer Fabio Fasiello, who documented the life and struggles of Armando Casamonica, one of the most famous and controversial Italian boxers, within one of Rome's most established and historic gyms in the Quadraro neighbourhood.

Drago subsequently released "The Red Skein", the most comprehensive monograph of the artist Swoon, one of the most influential street artists in the New York and international art scenes. Swoon presented her book at various galleries, including a solo exhibition at the Turner Carroll Gallery in Santa Fe, a launch with exhibition and book signing at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in New York, and at the Taglialatella Gallery in New York. In the autumn of 2023, two exhibitions were held at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum (Arizona, USA) and the Taubman Museum of Art (Virginia, USA), solidifying the volume as one of the most influential books of the year.

“JBROCK: Sette Variazioni 2000-2022" was a huge success, documenting the evolution of the character Ciccio, which brought artist JBROCK fame in Italy and internationally. Through seven episodes in various iconic locations of the Roman capital, from Porta Portese to Ponte della Musica, from Campo de' Fiori to Trastevere and Ponte Milvio, the artist in collaboration with photographer Niccolò Beretta and curator Giacomo Guidi for Contemporary Cluster, presented a new work featuring his most iconic character, Ciccio, each time. The book, which also includes a text written by Lucamaleonte, was published in a limited edition of 200 numbered and signed copies by the artist.

From April 5 to July 23, Palazzo Cipolla, Fondazione Terzo Pilastro in Rome, hosted the exhibition "Ipotesi Metaverso", for which DRAGO proudly produced the bilingual catalogue. From Escher to Refik Anadol, from de Chirico and Depero to Pak, from Balla and Boccioni to Krista Kim, from Piranesi to Primavera De Filippi: the great artists of the past meet contemporary pioneers of digital art in the realm of imagination, featuring immersive swings, digital Zen philosophy, techno-nature, blockchain sculptures, virtual reality, generative literature, and artificial intelligence.

Drago published "CALIFORNIA LOCOS: Renaissance & Rebellion", a book of over 400 pages that, for the first time, brings the philosophy of the cultural collective composed of five Los Angeles artists – Chaz Bojórquez, Dave Tourjé, John Van Hamersveld, Norton Wisdom, and Gary Wong – to Europe. The book embodies the culture of the West Coast: surf, skate, street art, photography, design, and music, celebrating Los Angeles in all of its exuberant diversity and rawness. Being a LOCO means being in love with life, creative, rebellious, and open to the ethnic and cultural diversity of the world. LOCOS is a movement that embodies innovation, multiculturalism, and rebellion. With a grand launch in the United States, featuring 400 posters in both New York and Los Angeles, the exhibition was launched at the Eastern Projects Gallery of Los Angeles in June. Europe embraces the cultural blend that the western coast of the United States offers, represented and displayed by Californian Locos. "The City of God (Rome) unites with the City of Angels (L.A.)."

Drago has published 152 titles, of which 12 have sold out.

Paulo Lucas von Vacano is an Italian-German publisher based in Rome who founded Drago in 2002. A former journalist, he contributed to several international magazines and newspapers. He then served as president of the Castelvecchi Publishing Company where he produced 500 books and several magazines, including Toni Negri's Posse and Aspenia Magazine (of The Aspen Institute).[2][3]

As founder of Drago Publishing, he has curated several exhibitions, including "Cross The Streets" at the MACRO in 2017, which exhibited artists such as Shepard Fairey aka Obey the Giant, Estevan Oriol, Invader, Evol, Boogie, WK Interact, Lee Quinones, and Fab 5 Freddy.[37]

Other exhibitions he has curated include "Angel of Decay" by Ed Templeton, "Via Crucis" by the artist Andrès Serrano "Kennedy: the family, values, history", the biggest European exhibition on the Kennedy family at the Temple of Hadrian (Rome).[2][3]

Since 2014 Paulo Lucas von Vacano has been a share-holder of the Audaces Foundation, an international non-profit organization that provides educational platforms.[2]

Domitilla Sartogo graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from the Cooper Union School of Art, New York. She has been the executive director of Drago since 2004. She previously worked as a graphic designer for the Richard Avedon Studio, as a talent scout and director of photography for Fabrica, the Benetton Group Center of Communications, as a professor of editorial design at the Parsons School of Design and as communications director for Borbonese, an Italian fashion brand where she also curated its fashion shows. She has acted as the executive director of the Florence Biennale of Fashion and Cinema,[38] with seven exhibitions focusing on the relationship between film and fashion that brought together set, costume, and fashion designers from around the world.

• Drago's website