Piero Fornasetti, a "meticulous enthusiast of the uncertain"

Piero Fornasetti is certainly one of the most genuine talents of all the 20th century.

He was born in Milan on the 1st November 1913. He was a painter, a sculptor, an interior designer, a printer of art books and a designer. Defining him as prolific is disparaging: during his life he created more than eleven thousand items.
His production was inspired by Piero della Francesca, Giotto, the Pompeian paintings, the Renaissance frescos and the metaphysics painting.
From 1933 on he started to attend the Triennal in Milan and he manufactured a series of foulard made of printed silk. On the occasion of the VII Triennal in 1940, he met Gio Ponti and they started a long and intense collaboration. In the same period he started to publish his own works on the "Domus" and "Stile" magazines.
During the World War II he moved to Switzerland where he kept on working. He realized manifests and litographies for theatrical events and magazines.
In 1970 he directed the Bibliofili's Gallery with a group of friends and he exhibited his own works along with other contemporary artists' works there.
After Gio Ponti's death in 1979, he decided to open a shop called "Tema e Variazioni" (Subject and Variations) in London which contributed to increase the interest for his works even abroad (despite he was already very popular). 

His style made of refined mysterious and dreamlike pictures made him an icon of the Italian creativity.

His production was essential for the Industrial Design as well, even though his works were often manufactured as unique pieces.
One of the most evident characteristics of the Fornasetti production is the review of the same subject dozens of times, with infinite variations.
The most appreciated elements are the sun, game cards, hands, self-portraits and the very famous face of the opera singer Lina Cavalieri found by Fornasetti while leafing through a French magazine of the end of 1800.

Some art objects manufactured by Fornasetti are available in our stores and on our website.