Piero Fornasetti, a “precise lover of the uncertain”
By Gabriele
Piero Fornasetti is undoubtedly one of the most original talents of the 20th century.
Born in Milan (November 1, 1913), he was a painter, sculptor, interior decorator, art book printer, and designer. Calling him prolific would be an understatement: throughout his life, he created more than eleven thousand objects.
His production was inspired by various figures such as Piero della Francesca, Giotto, Pompeian paintings, Renaissance frescoes, and metaphysical painting—a fascinating mix, to say the least.
From 1933, he began participating in the Milan Triennale with a series of printed silk scarves. At the VII Triennale in 1940, he met Gio Ponti, with whom he began a long and intense collaboration. During the same period, he started publishing his works in the magazines *Domus* and *Stile*.
During World War II, he moved to Switzerland, where he remained active by creating posters and lithographs for theatrical events and magazines.
In 1970, he co-directed the Galleria dei Bibliofili with a group of friends, showcasing his own works and those of contemporary artists.
After Gio Ponti’s death in 1979, he opened the “Tema e Variazioni” shop in London, which further increased international interest in his work (despite already being well-known).
His style, characterized by refined, mysterious, and dreamlike imagery, has made him an icon of Italian creativity.
His work was also pivotal for Industrial Design, although his pieces were often produced as unique editions.
One of the most notable aspects of Fornasetti’s production was his reinterpretation of the same subject dozens of times with endless variations.
The most frequently used elements include the sun, playing cards, hands, self-portraits, and the famous face of the opera singer Lina Cavalieri, which Fornasetti discovered by chance while flipping through a late 19th-century French magazine.
Fornasetti art objects are available in our stores and on our website.
