Commercial Proposals
New Project Proposals & Commissions
If you have a new assignment or collaboration to propose, please visit our CONTACT US page.
To help us evaluate your request efficiently, please write to our Shannon Associates Team via email info@shannonassociates.com (Phone: +1 212.333.2551) with everything we should know about the project, including:
• The Timeline & Schedule
• The Budget & Usage
• The Style & Aesthetic Direction
• The Number of Images & Subject Matter
• The Project's Objectives & Goals
Our team will review your proposal and provide you with all the necessary information quickly. Many thanks for your help!
Direct Contacts & Credits
Special Projects & Fine Press
For limited editions, private commissions, or special artistic collaborations, you can reach our studio directly.
Please visit our CONTACT US page and fill out our contact form. Your request will reach us immediately. We welcome proposals for:
• Gallery exhibitions, art shows, and museum invitations
• Stock Image Licensing (to use our existing images, please visit our STOCK LICENSING page)
• Interviews and press/blog features
• International competition jury invitations
• Talks, lectures, and panel proposals (please note: we do not conduct workshops)
• Non-profit initiatives and special events
Who We Are
Four Eyes With One Vision
Do you know the Balbusso Twins Artist Duo?
We are Anna and Elena Balbusso. We are an international award-winning Italian artistic duo based in Milan.
© 2000-2026 Anna and Elena Balbusso. All rights reserved. | Contact: info@balbussotwins.com
All Balbusso Twins images and content are copyrighted. No Machine Learning, No AI. You may not use our images, our name (as authors), or any content of this website (including any caption information, keywords, or other metadata associated with the content) for any machine learning and/or artificial intelligence purposes.
The artworks featured on this website cannot be used for commercial purposes by any third parties without explicit written permission from the copyright holders, Anna and Elena Balbusso Twins. Any violation of this right constitutes an infringement of copyright law and is subject to legal prosecution.
The Exhibition Catalog: A Collector's Item
In conjunction with our major solo exhibition at the Society of Illustrators in New York, the official catalog "Balbusso Twins. Illustrating with Two Souls" has been released as an exclusive, limited-edition art book.
Beautifully designed by the legendary DJ Stout and Davian-Lynn Hopkins at Pentagram Design, this volume is a true must-have for art lovers and design collectors. The catalog is available worldwide at a very special price and can be purchased in-store at the museum in New York (@soi128) or online.
ANNA + ELENA = BALBUSSO TWINS | ARTIST DUO
The First Italian Artists in History to Receive the Prestigious Hamilton King Award
Commissioned Visual Arts & Authorial Creative Direction
The Vision: Haute Couture Visual Arts
Our work explores the visceral dialogue between two distinct souls—the graphic and the pictorial. We operating at the intersection of fine art, editorial narrative, and contemporary luxury design. Driven by an unconventional, non-stereotypical vision, we approach every commission with the uncompromising precision and bespoke craftsmanship of haute couture. We do not merely illustrate; we elevate brands and narratives into enduring cultural milestones.
Two Souls, One Creative Identity
Our unique creative collaboration was recently spotlighted by design icon Steven Heller. In our feature interview for PRINT Magazine (2026), titled “Four Eyes With One Vision”:
“Anna and Elena see their collaboration as a symbiotic process where they melt into a single multi-creative identity.”
— Steven Heller, PRINT Magazine (2026)
Global Milestones & Institutional Prestige
From our studio in Italy, we orchestrate high-concept visual worlds for elite international clients, institutions, and luxury brands.
- Historical Milestone: First Italian artists in history to be honored with the prestigious Hamilton King Award (2026)
- Museum Presence: Celebrated with a landmark solo exhibition at The Society of Illustrators in New York City
- Monumental Scale & Scenography: Expanding our pictorial vision into a new frontier—designing ultra-high-resolution, large-scale digital installations and immersive visual narratives for museums and theatrical environments.
- Luxury Publishing: Creators of multi-awarded, rare limited-edition books and luxury fine press masterpieces.
We bring unmatched historical prestige, rare craftsmanship, and profound conceptual authority to every global commission.
Anna and Elena Balbusso (Balbusso Twins) | Biography
Anna and Elena Balbusso, known internationally as the Balbusso Twins, are an award-winning Italian artist duo operating at the absolute highest levels of commissioned visual arts and authorial creative direction, bridging the worlds of fine art, contemporary luxury design, and editorial narrative. After completing their studies at the “G. Sello” art high school in their hometown of Udine, they graduated in Painting from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. They live and work in Milan, Italy.
Artistic Vision
Driven by an unconventional and non-stereotypical vision, they approach every project with a high-quality perspective, much like the elite craftsmanship of haute couture. Their work explores the deep dialogue between their two souls—graphic and pictorial—expanding across illustration, visual narrative, fine art, and contemporary design.
Renowned design critic Steven Heller (co-chair of the School of Visual Arts MFA Design program in New York) described their unique aesthetic in The Atlantic (2012) as images that are
“enticingly Renaissance and eerily new wave.”
They are internationally recognized for their mastery in conceptual visual problem solving, translating complex intellectual ideas—ranging from economics and law to medicine and psychology—into profound, metaphorical artworks for elite corporate, academic, and institutional publications.
International Publishing & Major Clients
They have illustrated more than 50 luxury and fine press limited edition books. Among their most celebrated works are the Centenary Edition of Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd for Suntup Editions (which went completely out of print across all states in record time), the limited edition of The Great Gatsby for Beehive Books, Margaret Atwood’s masterpieces for Corriere della Sera, and the deluxe Folio Society editions of The Handmaid's Tale, Pride and Prejudice, and Atlas Shrugged.
Their artworks have appeared in major international newspapers and magazines, including The Economist, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Reader’s Digest, and Corriere della Sera.
Over 120 International Honors & Awards
Throughout their career, they have received more than 120 international honors, including:
- Hamilton King Award 2026: The highest honor presented by The Society of Illustrators of New York (recognizing their work for the children's book Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina, Candlewick Press). They are the first Italian artists in history to receive this prestigious award.
- Society of Illustrators (NYC): 4 Gold Medals, 1 Silver Medal, and the Stevan Dohanos Award.
- Lifetime Achievement Award (Premio alla Carriera): Conferred in Italy by the Associazione Autori di Immagini (AI).
- Premio Andersen: Best Illustrator (34th Edition of the Andersen Magazine Awards, Genoa).
- SILA (Los Angeles): 2 Joseph Morgan Henninger Awards (Best of Show), 1 Silver Award, and 1 Bronze Award.
- 3x3 Magazine: 1 Best of Show, 1 Gold Award, and 2 Silver Awards.
- Communication Arts: 32 Awards of Excellence.
- Graphis Inc.: 2 Graphis Platinum Design Awards, 1 Graphis Gold Design Award, and 1 Graphis Silver Award.
- V&A Museum (London): Victoria and Albert Museum Illustration Awards Best Book.
International Exhibitions & Institutions
Their artworks have been exhibited worldwide and woven into landmark historical projects:
- The Norman Rockwell Museum included the Balbusso Twins in its official illustration history (IllustrationHistory.org) among the definitive artists of The Decade 2010-2020, specifically highlighting their landmark artwork for The Witch of Duva (Tor.com).
- In 2026, marking the landmark 125th Anniversary celebrations of The Society of Illustrators in New York, the institution hosted their major solo exhibition, “Balbusso Twins: Illustrating with Two Souls”. Accompanied by an exhibition catalogue designed by DJ Stout (Pentagram), the show achieved an extraordinary 6-month run due to an extension granted by popular demand.
- They were selected for the historical exhibition celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Society of Illustrators, where one of their pieces is proudly showcased, permanently entering the history of this great institution.
- In Italy, they participated in the XXI Triennale di Milano within the landmark exhibitions “Normali Meraviglie - La mano” and TDM 9: W-Women in Italian Design, with their work officially published in the exhibition catalogue by Corraini Edizioni.
- They are part of the international traveling showcase Tolerance Poster Show curated by Mirko Ilić, and the “Italian Excellence: Children's Illustration” traveling exhibition curated by the Bologna Children's Book Fair (selecting the top 18 Italian artists).
Publications, Academia & Juries
In 2026, design icon Steven Heller dedicated a comprehensive feature interview to them for PRINT Magazine, titled “Four Eyes With One Vision,” analyzing their unique symbiotic aesthetic. Their career has been long supported by Heller, who first spotlighted them in 2012 in The Atlantic with the feature article “Two Twins, One Design Career,” describing their distinctive artwork as images that are “enticingly Renaissance and eerily new wave.” Over the years, he has continued to document their work on PRINT Magazine’s renowned column The Daily Heller.
Furthermore, their global impact was celebrated in 2023 with an extensive, multi-page career retrospective in Graphis Journal 377 entitled “Balbusso Twins: Illustrating with Two Souls.” In a powerful testament to its resonance, this definitive title was later adopted, courtesy of Graphis, for their landmark 2026 solo exhibition at The Society of Illustrators in New York City.
Art historian Paola Pallottino included them in the volume “Le Figure per dirlo. Storia delle illustratrici italiane dal '600 a oggi” (History of Italian Women Illustrators from the 1600s to Today) published by the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani. They are also featured in textbooks on contemporary illustration by professors Alan Male (Falmouth University) and Andrew Selby (Loughborough University), published by Bloomsbury UK.
Furthermore, they have served on prestigious international juries for Graphis, Communication Arts, 3x3 Magazine, and SILA. In 2026, they were members of the jury for the BCBF International Award for Illustration at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.
Selection of Publishers & Clients:
Suntup Editions (USA) , Walt Disney Books (USA), HarperCollins Publishers (USA), The Criterion Collection (USA), Hachette Book Group (USA), Candlewick Press (USA), Creative Editions (USA), Beehive Books (USA), Tor Books (USA), Penguin Random House (USA), Simon & Schuster (USA), Scholastic (USA), Macmillan (UK), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (USA), Reclam Verlag (DE), The Folio Society (UK), Headline Publishing Group (UK), Éditions Gallimard (FR), Éditions Milan (FR), Rizzoli Libri (IT), Gruppo Mondadori / Mondadori Ragazzi (IT), Black Cat Publishing (IT), Gruppo De Agostini (IT), Giunti Progetti Educativi (IT), Einaudi Ragazzi (IT), Edizioni EL (IT), Yeowon Media (South Korea).
Follow the artist duo on Instagram: @balbusso_twins
© Balbusso Twins. All rights reserved.
“We started drawing at the age of three and have never stopped. We drew everywhere—on kitchen walls, on the bedsheets, on ornaments… Drawing was the game we loved most of all.”
"ANNA started drawing first.
She drew the figures upside down and then turned the paper!
ELENA followed ANNA ……"
Elena and Anna’s first-grade notebooks.
Bronze Medal Mickey Mouse - Coin Prize Top Art
At seven years old, Elena won a bronze medal for her marker drawing of a campsite filled with tents and trailers. Anna was also awarded the same medal, having created wonderful drawings of her own.
ANNA + ELENA = BALBUSSO TWINS | ARTIST DUO
Le prime artiste italiane nella storia a ricevere il prestigioso Hamilton King Award, Society of Illustrator New York.
Arti visive su commissione e direzione creativa autoriale
Traguardi globali e prestigio istituzionale
Dal nostro studio in Italia, creiamo mondi visivi di alto profilo per clienti internazionali d'élite, istituzioni e marchi del lusso.
- Pietra miliare storica: Prime artiste italiane nella storia a essere insignite del prestigioso Hamilton King Award (2026).
- Presenza museale: Celebrate con una storica mostra personale presso la Society of Illustrators a New York City.
- Scala monumentale e scenografia: Espandiamo la nostra visione pittorica verso una nuova frontiera—progettando installazioni digitali su larga scala ad altissima risoluzione e narrazioni visive immersive per musei e ambienti teatrali.
- Editoria di lusso: Creatrici di libri d'arte in edizione limitata e capolavori per l'editoria di pregio, pluripremiati a livello internazionale.
Portiamo un prestigio storico senza pari, un artigianato raro e una profonda autorevolezza concettuale in ogni commissione globale.
Biografia
Anna and Elena Balbusso, note a livello internazionale come Balbusso Twins, sono un pluripremiato duo artistico italiano che opera ai massimi livelli nei campi delle arti visive su commissione e della direzione creativa autoriale, unendo i mondi delle belle arti, del design di lusso contemporaneo e della narrativa editoriale. Dopo aver completato gli studi presso il liceo artistico “G. Sello” nella loro città natale, Udine, si sono laureate in Pittura presso l'Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera a Milano. Vivono e lavorano a Milano, Italia.
Visione artistica
Guidate da una visione non convenzionale e priva di stereotipi, affrontano ogni progetto con una prospettiva di altissima qualità, affine all'artigianato d'élite dell'alta moda. Il loro lavoro esplora il profondo dialogo tra le loro due anime—grafica e pittorica—spaziando tra illustrazione, narrazione visiva, belle arti e design contemporaneo.
Il rinomato critico di design Steven Heller (co-direttore del programma MFA Design presso la School of Visual Arts di New York) ha descritto la loro estetica unica su The Atlantic come immagini che sono “seducentemente rinascimentali e inquietantemente new wave”. Sono riconosciute a livello internazionale per la loro maestria nel visual problem solving concettuale, traducendo idee intellettuali complesse—che spaziano dall'economia alla legge, fino alla medicina e alla psicologia—in opere d'arte profonde e metaforiche per pubblicazioni aziendali, accademiche e istituzionali d'élite.
Editoria internazionale e grandi clienti
Hanno illustrato più di 50 libri in edizioni limitate di lusso e di pregio.Tra le loro opere più celebri si annoverano l'Edizione del Centenario di The Murder of Roger Ackroyd di Agatha Christie per Suntup Editions (andata completamente esaurita in tempi record), l'edizione limitata di The Great Gatsby per Beehive Books, i capolavori di Margaret Atwood per il Corriere della Sera e le edizioni di lusso della Folio Society di The Handmaid's Tale, Pride and Prejudice e Atlas Shrugged.
Le loro opere d'arte sono apparse sui principali quotidiani e riviste internazionali, tra cui The Economist, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Reader’s Digest e il Corriere della Sera.
Oltre 120 onorificenze e premi internazionali
Nel corso della loro carriera, hanno ricevuto più di 120 riconoscimenti internazionali, tra cui:
- Hamilton King Award 2026: La più alta onorificenza conferita dalla Society of Illustrators di New York. (per il libro per ragazzi Graciela in the Abyss di Meg Medina, Candlewick Press). Sono le prime artiste italiane nella storia a ricevere questo prestigioso premio [societyillustrators.org].
- Society of Illustrators (NYC): 4 Medaglie d'Oro, 1 Medaglia d'Argento e lo Stevan Dohanos Award.
- Premio alla Carriera: Conferito in Italia dall'Associazione Autori di Immagini (AI).
- Premio Andersen: Miglior Illustratore (34ª Edizione dei Premi della Rivista Andersen, Genova).
- SILA (Los Angeles): 2 Joseph Morgan Henninger Awards (Best of Show), 1 Silver Award e 1 Bronze Award.
- 3x3 Magazine: 1 Best of Show, 1 Gold Award e 2 Silver Awards.
- Communication Arts: 32 Awards of Excellence.
- Graphis Inc.: 2 Graphis Platinum Design Awards, 1 Graphis Gold Design Award e 1 Graphis Silver Award.
- V&A Museum (Londra): Victoria and Albert Museum Illustration Awards Best Book.
Mostre internazionali e istituzioni
Le loro opere d'arte sono state esposte in tutto il mondo e inserite in storici progetti di riferimento:
- Il Norman Rockwell Museum ha incluso le Balbusso Twins nella sua storia ufficiale dell'illustrazione (IllustrationHistory.org) tra gli artisti definitivi del decennio 2010-2020, evidenziando in particolare la loro memorabile opera per The Witch of Duva (Tor.com).
- Nel 2026, in occasione delle celebrazioni per lo storico 125° anniversario della Society of Illustrators di New York, l'istituzione ha ospitato la loro grande mostra personale, “Balbusso Twins: Illustrating with Two Souls” Accompagnata da un catalogo d'mostra progettato da DJ Stout (Pentagram), l'esposizione ha registrato una straordinaria durata di 6 mesi grazie a una proroga concessa a grande richiesta del pubblico.
- Sono state selezionate per la mostra storica celebrativa del 125° anniversario della Society of Illustrators, dove una delle loro opere è orgogliosamente esposta, entrando permanentemente nella storia di questa grande istituzione.
- In Italia, hanno partecipato alla XXI Triennale di Milano all'interno delle mostre storiche “Normali Meraviglie - La mano” e TDM 9: W-Women in Italian Design, con il loro lavoro ufficialmente pubblicato nel catalogo della mostra da Corraini Edizioni.
- Fanno parte della rassegna itinerante internazionale Tolerance Poster Show curata da Mirko Ilić, e della mostra itinerante “Eccellenze Italiane: Illustrazione per l'infanzia” curata dalla Bologna Children's Book Fair (che seleziona i migliori 18 artisti italiani).
Pubblicazioni, accademia e giurie
Nel 2026, l'icona del design Steven Heller ha dedicato loro un'ampia intervista monografica per PRINT Magazine, intitolata “Four Eyes With One Vision”, analizzando la loro estetica simbiotica unica. La loro carriera è sostenuta da tempo da Heller, che le ha messe in luce per la prima volta nel 2012 su The Atlantic con l'articolo “Two Twins, One Design Career”, descrivendo la loro cifra stilistica unica. Nel corso degli anni, ha continuato a documentare il loro lavoro nella celebre rubrica di PRINT Magazine The Daily Heller.
Inoltre, il loro impatto globale è stato celebrato nel 2023 con un'estesa retrospettiva di molte pagine su Graphis Journal 377 intitolata “Balbusso Twins: Illustrating with Two Souls.” Come potente testimonianza della sua risonanza, questo titolo definitivo è stato successivamente adottato, per gentile concessione di Graphis, per la loro storica mostra personale del 2026 alla Society of Illustrators di New York.
La storica dell'arte Paola Pallottino le ha inserite nel volume “Le Figure per dirlo. Storia delle illustratrici italiane dal '600 a oggi” pubblicato dall'Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani. Sono inoltre incluse nei manuali sull'illustrazione contemporanea dei professori Alan Male (Falmouth University) e Andrew Selby (Loughborough University), pubblicati da Bloomsbury UK.
Inoltre, hanno fatto parte di prestigiose giurie internazionali per Graphis, Communication Arts, 3x3 Magazine e SILA. Nel 2026, sono state membri della giuria del Premio Internazionale d'Illustrazione BCBF presso la Bologna Children's Book Fair.
Selezione di editori e clienti:
Suntup Editions (USA) [suntup.press], Walt Disney Books (USA), HarperCollins Publishers (USA), The Criterion Collection (USA), Hachette Book Group (USA), Candlewick Press (USA), Creative Editions (USA), Beehive Books (USA) [beehivebooks.com], Tor Books (USA), Penguin Random House (USA), Simon & Schuster (USA), Scholastic (USA), Macmillan (UK), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (USA), Reclam Verlag (DE), The Folio Society (UK), Headline Publishing Group (UK), Éditions Gallimard (FR), Éditions Milan (FR), Rizzoli Libri (IT), Gruppo Mondadori / Mondadori Ragazzi (IT), Black Cat Publishing (IT), Gruppo De Agostini (IT), Giunti Progetti Educativi (IT), Einaudi Ragazzi (IT), Edizioni EL (IT), Yeowon Media (Corea del Sud).
Segui il duo artistico su Instagram: @balbusso_twins
© Balbusso Twins. Tutti i diritti riservati.
Welcome to our Milan studio, the birthplace of our visual narratives. Discover how we blend traditional craftsmanship with digital innovation.
