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Fortunato Depero (30 March 1892 – 29 November 1960) was an Italian
futurist
Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities abo ...
painter, writer, sculptor, and
graphic designer.
Biography
Although born in
Fondo
Fondo (german: Pfund; Nones: ''Fón'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about north of Trento, precisely at the northern limit of the Val di Non.
Fondo borders t ...
or in the neighboring village of
Malosco
Malosco (''Malós-c'' in local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about north of Trento.
History
Malosco was occupied in ancient times, testament to the abund ...
, according to other sources (in the Italian
Trentino
Trentino ( lld, Trentin), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the country's far north. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region ...
region, at that time the County of Tyrol in the Austrian-Hungarian empire), Depero grew up in
Rovereto
Rovereto (; "wood of sessile oaks"; locally: ''Roveredo'') is a city and ''comune'' in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River.
History
Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the frontier ...
and it was here he first began exhibiting his works, while serving as an apprentice to a
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...
worker. It was on a 1913 trip to
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
that he discovered a copy of the paper ''Lacerba'' and an article by one of the founders of the
futurism movement,
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti (; 22 December 1876 – 2 December 1944) was an Italian poet, editor, art theorist, and founder of the Futurist movement. He was associated with the utopian and Symbolist artistic and literary community Abbaye d ...
. Depero was inspired, and in 1914 moved to Rome and met fellow futurist
Giacomo Balla
Giacomo Balla (18 July 1871 – 1 March 1958) was an Italian painter, art teacher and poet best known as a key proponent of Futurism. In his paintings he depicted light, movement and speed. He was concerned with expressing movement in his works, ...
. It was with Balla in 1915 that he wrote the
manifesto ''Ricostruzione futurista dell’universo'' ("Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe") which expanded upon the ideas introduced by the other futurists.
It sought the abstract equivalent for all forms and elements of the universe.
The goal was to make the universe "more joyful" through an integral recreation. In the same year he was designing stage sets and costumes for a ballet.
In 1919 Depero founded the House of Futurist Art in Rovereto, which specialised in producing toys,
tapestries
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...
and furniture in the futurist style. In 1925 he represented the futurists at the
(International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts), and presented a ''Futurist Hall'' at the
Monza Biennial.
In 1927, together with his friend, advertising agent and publisher Fedele Azari (Dinamo-Azari), Fortunato Depero designed ''Depero futurista 1913–1927'' – the so-called "bolted book" – which was printed in
letterpress
Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing. Using a printing press, the process allows many copies to be produced by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper. A worker com ...
with his direct supervision and involvement by the Mercurio print works of Rovereto. ''Depero futurista 1913–1927'' was a commercial book to be sold, to promote and document the work of Depero, and to legitimise him as an artist. It was a showcase portfolio relating to a specific period (1913–1927), but also an atypical and pioneering artwork in the form of a book, an ideological declaration. It is a work that celebrates Depero the artist, graphic designer and artisan, a blend described as ‘total fusion’ by
Giacomo Balla
Giacomo Balla (18 July 1871 – 1 March 1958) was an Italian painter, art teacher and poet best known as a key proponent of Futurism. In his paintings he depicted light, movement and speed. He was concerned with expressing movement in his works, ...
and Depero in their manifesto of 1915 ''Ricostruzione futurista dell’universo''.
1928 saw Depero move to New York City. From this year to 1930, his works were not successful. The city was still reeling from the effects of the Wall Street crash so his paintings did not sell while the Futurist House, his first commercial enterprise there closed after barely two months of operations. He experienced a degree of success later on, doing costumes for stage productions and designing covers for magazines including ''
MovieMaker
''MovieMaker'' is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking with a special emphasis on independent film. The magazine is published on a quarterly basis.
See also
* List of film periodicals
Film period ...
'', ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' and ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', among others. He also dabbled in interior design during his stay, working on two
restaurants
A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
which were later demolished to make way for the
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th Street and 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco buildings, commissioned by the Rockefeller family, span th ...
. He also did work for the ''
New York Daily News'' and
Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
, and built a house on
23rd Street. In 1930 he returned to Italy.
In the 1930s and 40s Depero continued working, although due to futurism being linked with
fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
, the movement started to wane. The artistic development of the movement in this period can mostly be attributed to him and Balla. One of the projects he was involved in during this time was ''Dinamo'' magazine, which he founded and edited. After the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Depero had trouble with authorities in Europe and in 1947 decided to try New York again. This time he found the reception not quite as welcoming. One of his achievements on his second stay in the United States was the publication of ''So I Think, So I Paint'', a translation of his autobiography initially released in 1940: ''Fortunato Depero nelle opere e nella vita'' (literally, ''Fortunato Depero, his works and his life''). From the winter of 1947 to late October 1949 Depero lived in a cottage in
New Milford, Connecticut, relaxing and continuing with his long-standing plans to open a museum. His host was William Hillman, an associate of the then-President,
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
.
After New Milford, Depero returned to Rovereto, where he would live out his days. In August 1959 Galleria Museo Depero opened, fulfilling one of his long-term ambitions. On 29 November 1960, after being ill with
diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
and spending the last two years unable to paint due to
hemiparesis
Hemiparesis, or unilateral paresis, is weakness of one entire side of the body ('' hemi-'' means "half"). Hemiplegia is, in its most severe form, complete paralysis of half of the body. Hemiparesis and hemiplegia can be caused by different medi ...
, Depero died aged 68.
Works
Many of his works are featured in the permanent collection of the
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto (MART) (''Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto'', in Italian) is a museum centre in the Italian province of Trento. The main site is in Rovereto, and contains m ...
(MART). The
Casa d'Arte Futurista Depero, Italy's only museum dedicated to the Futurist movement, containing 3,000 objects, is now one of MART's venues. Closed for many years for extensive refurbishment, the Casa d'Arte Futurista Depero reopened in 2009.
A number of important artists, thinkers, and architects worked on the Casa with Depero―especially those who were from the region―including
Fausto Melotti,
Gino Pollini
Gino Pollini (19 January 1903 in Rovereto – 25 January 1991 in Milan) was an Italian architect.
Life
Gino Pollini was born in Rovereto on January 19, 1903, to Luigi Pollini, a shopkeeper, and Teresa Miori Pollini. At the time of Pollini ...
, and
Carlo Belli.
Depero's designs and artworks completed for advertising were mainly monochromatic or utilized a spot color to emphasize text.
His full-color designs followed Futurist color schemes featuring red, brown, ocher and the occasional accents of bright blue or aqua.
Exhibitions
From 22 February to 28 June 2014, the
Center for Italian Modern Art exhibited Depero's work which engaged in dialogues with
Dada
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...
and
Metaphysical Painting, Espirit Nouveau, and
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
.
Writings
* ''So I think, so I paint: Ideologies of an Italian self-made painter'', Mutilati e Invalidi, Trento, 1947 ASIN: B0007JG8YG
References
* Belli, G., Depero futurista: Rome-Paris-New York: 1915–1932, exhibithion catalogue, The Wolfsonian Florida International University, Miami Beach, Florida. Milan: Skira, 1999.
* Camillini, G., Fortunato Depero and Depero futurista 1913-1927, Soveria Mannelli: Rubbettino editore, 2021.
* Chiesa, L., “Transnational Multimedia: Fortunato Depero’s Impressions of New York City (1928–1930),” California Italian Studies, 1, 2010.
* Ewing, H., ed., Fortunato Depero, exhibition catalogue, Center for Italian Modern Art, New York, 2014.
* Greene, V., ed., Italian Futurism 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe, exhibition catalogue, Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2014.
*Troy, Virginia Gardner, "Stitching Modernity: The Textile Work of Fortunato Depero," ''Journal of Modern Italian Studies'', Vol. 20, No. 1, January 2015, p. 24–33.
External links
Fortunato Depero at DesignboomDepero Bio at GuggenheimDepero exhibition at the Center for Italian Modern Art, 2014Los pabellones publicitarios de Fortunato Depero, 2020
Literature
Steven Heller, Georgette Ballance. Graphic Design History. 2001 (p. 153-160)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Depero, Fortunato
Italian designers
Italian Futurist painters
Futurist sculptors
1892 births
1960 deaths
Italian graphic designers
Italian magazine editors
Futurist writers
People from Trentino
20th-century Italian painters
20th-century Italian sculptors
20th-century Italian male artists