WALTER BONATTI

The rediscovered comics

Walter Bonatti: a legend of mountaineering, tireless explorer, photographer, and storyteller capable of transforming his adventures into immortal tales.
The memory of such a rich life is preserved in his archive, kept at the Museomontagna: an immense treasure of documents, images, and objects. From the meticulous work of cataloguing, digitizing, and enhancing this collection, the Museum continues to uncover previously unseen materials that reveal ever new facets of this unique figure—an inexhaustible source of inspiration and wonder.

The new exhibition produced by the Museomontagna is dedicated precisely to one of Bonatti’s lesser-known and most surprising sides. Over thirty years ago, Walter Bonatti actually became a comic book character. He did so not only by inspiring illustrators and writers with his adventures but also by collaborating directly with them, creating an evocative dialogue between lived experience and graphic imagination.

The exhibition Walter Bonatti – The Rediscovered Comics and the book of the same name, published by RCS Solferino and curated by journalist Angelo Ponta, explore this theme for the first time, offering a journey through illustrations, sketches, and scripts. From the Central Pillar of the Dru to the American Far North, from Africa to the oceans, these drawings and stories once again show how the “character” of Bonatti managed to transcend the boundaries of the mountains to become a popular icon. A story that speaks not only to mountaineering enthusiasts but to anyone who loves adventure, comics, and tales that can “capture emotion.”

Enhancing the exhibition is a video created by NEO [Narrative Environment Operas], based on the comic book series Alone on the Yukon and In the Heart of Africa, curated by Fabia Molteni, Cinzia Rizzo, and Franco Rolle.

On the occasion of the exhibition, the heirs of Enea Riboldi (1954–2025) have donated to the Museomontagna the original plates and sketches created by the Milanese illustrator for the first comic book dedicated to Walter Bonatti’s adventures.