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The prestigious and sacred setting of Chiesa dei Servi will host an exhibition with over 100 original works by the artists who have made the history of D&D, curated by Jon Peterson, one of the most authoritative historians of role-playing and wargaming, and art historian Jessica Lee Patterson.

On display will be works from the Koder Collection, the world's most complete collection of artworks related to Dungeons & Dragons and fantasy games, assembled over the course of more than two decades. The collection brings together original works of art, both published artworks and preparatory sketches, created over the last half century with the aim of preserving them and, in the future, founding an institution that will make them accessible to the public, highlighting the impact that this type of art has on popular culture.

“Art has had such a huge impact on the way people view and see fantasy, and the ways in which the genre has developed through games and literature. The contribution of artists to the fantasy genre has not always been sufficiently recognized and appreciated. The works of art were fragmented and dispersed, they had to be gathered so that people could appreciate them in their historical context. The goal of the collection is to be a real gateway to adventure, inviting to the exploration of fantasy art through the lens of D&D" comments Matthew Koder, owner of the collection.

The Lucca exhibition will see more than 100 pieces on display including original works, memorabilia, rare publications and iconic objects. A retrospective on the last fifty years of D&D art and the ways in which it has spread through society, forever influencing the worlds of gaming and literature and subsequently achieving a global impact, the famous “butterfly effect” that Lucca Comics & Games wants to celebrate this year.

Visitors will be guided on a journey from the images of the first versions of the game to the most recent ones, including a series of important works by the "Four Horsemen" of D&D art: Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Clyde Caldwell and Keith Parkinson. 

Among the artists featured in the exhibition there is Todd Lockwood, Tim Hildebrandt, Brom,Wayne Reynolds,Robh Ruppel,Rick Berry and many others. Alongside the works of these immortal masters, fans will see the symbolic objects of fifty years spent at the gaming table.

The exhibition will be dedicated to both Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, creators of D&D, and Keith Parkinson, who passed away in 2005. The city of Lucca will also name one of the historic dungeon-like ramparts exits, the San Paolino bastion, after Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

See you on October 26th with the official inauguration!