Charles Burns was born in Washington in 1955. He is one of the leaders of the American independent scene and an international comic master. He started publishing his stories on “Raw”, anthology directed by Art Spiegelman. Then he took part in the project “Valvoline Motorcomics” in Bologna (with Brolli, Carpinteri, Kramsky, Igort and Mattotti). During his stay in Italy, Burns published on “Frigidaire”, “Alter Alter”, “Dolce vita” and “Fuego”. After producing the stories collected in “Big Baby”, “Skin deep” and “El Borbah”, he spent 11 years of his life in the creation of Black Hole, a graphic novel which is unanimously admitted as one of the last twenty years masterpieces. The story of Black Hole >narrates the lifes, relationships and fears of some provincial teens in a long summer in the 70s’ years. A fascinating narration leads ourselves in a horror nightmare where sexual relationships are the way to a mysterious epidemic. This epidemic provokes genetic mutations and it constrains to isolations and escape. A metaphor of the deep change people undergo before reaching the adult age. Charles Burns made illustrations for magazines like “Time”, “New Yorker”, “New York Times Magazine” and he realizes now covers for “The Believer”, in which magazine – estabilished by Dave Eggers – has been writing the greatest part of the most influential American contemporary novelists. The “Sotto pelle” exhibition, in collaboration with Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, is the first personal exhibition of this American artist taking place in Italy. The exposition will show more than 100 works, among comic tables from Black Hole, sketches and illustrations realized for magazines and books during the last thirty years.