Bookends by Piero Fornasetti - 1960s

Designer: Piero Fornasetti

Piero Fornasetti (1913 - 1988) was a painter, sculptor, interior decorator, printer of art books, designer and creator of over eleven thousand objects, sets and costumes, organizer of exhibitions and initiatives at an international level and Italian. Piero Fornasetti was born into a wealthy family of the Milanese bourgeoisie, in 1930 he entered the Brera Academy of Fine Arts but was expelled two years later for insubordination. He then enrolled in the Higher School of Arts Applied to Industry, also in Milan. He created one of the largest productions of objects and furniture of the twentieth century, not so much for the circulation of the individual objects but for the diversity of the decorations. The fundamental lesson that is drawn from his work is rigor, accompanied by an intense imagination, an elegant veiled humor. In 1933 Piero began his presence at the Milan Triennials, taking part for the first time in that year with a series of printed silk scarves. In 1940 he met Gio Ponti, a long period of collaboration was born and he also began to publish his works in the design and architecture magazine "Domus" and "Stile". From 1940 to 1942 he designed the lunars on the commission of Gio Ponti himself. From 1943 to 1946 he took refuge in Switzerland where he made posters and lithographs for theatrical events and magazines. In 1970 he directed, together with a group of friends, the Bibliofili Gallery, where he exhibited both his production and that of contemporary artists. After Gio Ponti's death (in 1979), Piero Fornasetti, in 1980, opened the "Tema e Variazioni" shop in London, which revived the interest in his works even abroad where he was already widely known.
Find out more about Piero Fornasetti with our insights:
FineArt: Lamp 'Dugnali'
A "precise lover of the uncertain"