Emilio Coia was a Scottish artist who made his name in the early 1930s as a widely published caricaturist.

Biography

Coia was born on 13 April 1911 in Glasgow. He was the son of Italian immigrant Giovanni Coia, a Glasgow ice-cream retailer, who trained him as an artist.

Educated at St Mungo's Academy and the Glasgow School of Art

Glasgow School of Art

Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...

, he had a long period of work in advertising

Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...

 (before, during and after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

), before returning to the newspaper business (initially in Glasgow), but later for the Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

-published The Scotsman

The Scotsman

The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....

. This led to a long and mutually-beneficial association with the Edinburgh Festival

Edinburgh Festival

The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...

.

Coia also contributed to the early days of Scottish Television

Scottish Television

Scottish Television is Scotland's largest ITV franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. It is the second oldest ITV franchisee still active...

; talking entertainingly on a wide range of subjects and producing caricatures and sketches on live and recorded TV programmes. He was widely and deservedly honoured and acclaimed for his work, and was elected President of Glasgow Art Club

Glasgow Art Club

Glasgow Art Club is a club for practicing and retired artists and lay members with an interest in the arts, that has become over the generations “a meeting place for artists, business leaders and academics.” - History and premises :...

.
Coia married Marie Neale (died 1978).

He died on 17 June 1997.