Illustrator and author, Paolo Barbieri has created countless covers for authors such as Michael Crichton, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ilaria Tuti, George RR Martin, Umberto Eco, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Herbie Bren-nan, Cassandra Clare, Laura Gallego García, Alber- to Angela, Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Wilbur Smith and many other prestigious names. In 2001 he was director of the color department for the sets in “Aida degli Alberi”, an Italian animated film directed by Guido Manuli and with the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. 
Paolo has to his credit the two illustrated books of the Emerged World (“Creatures of the Emerged World” and “Wars of the Emerged World - Warriors and Creatures”) and has created dozens of covers for Licia Troisi's fantasy novels published by Mondadori from 2004 to 2015) and the covers of the two Panini Comics series inspired by the Emerged World. 
In 2019 he created Draghi, Airships and Hot Air Balloons - Once Upon a Time in Milan (illustrations by Paolo Barbieri, story by Luca Crovi), Oligo Editore.
Since 2015 Barbieri began collaborating with the Lo Scarabeo publishing house in Turin, with which he created various illustrated books including “Zodiac” (2016), “Night Fairies” (2020, preface by John Howe), “Alice in Wonderland illustrated by Paolo Barbieri” (2022), “The Wizard of Oz illustrated by Paolo Barbieri” (2023) and “GATTI, Legends and Mysteries” (2025). 
“Alice in Wonderland” was chosen by the Lewis Carrol Society from the top 10 Alice picture books released during the year.
In 2021, “Dante's Inferno” is published by Sergio Bonelli Editore, followed by “Fables of the Gods-Heroes, Creatures and Deities of Greek Mythology” (2022), “Immortal Fairy Tales” (2022) and “The Apocalypse illustrated by Paolo Barbieri” (2023).
Also for Bonelli Editore Barbieri he creates L'Odissea illustrata (2024) and Dracula (arriving in bookstores by the end of October 2025).
In 2021, various tables of’ ”Dante's Inferno” were selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the traveling exhibition “Dante Ipermoderno”, an exhibition that touched on Italian Culture institutes abroad in cities such as Madrid, Prague, Belgrade, Athens, Moscow and London. In 2022 the tables of “Fables of the Gods” will be exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. 
Paolo Barbieri created the official poster for Lucca Comics and Games 2021, the posters for Romics 2018 and 2023, the “cover art” for Ferrari (Qatar Grand Prix/Losail 2021, Japanese Grand Prix/Suzuka 2022 and Dutch Grand Prix 2023) and the advertising image for the Casio A100/Alien campaign.