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 abou ...

painter, writer, sculptor, and

graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...

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 the ...

or in the neighboring village of Malosco, 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 b ...

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 region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico a ...

that he discovered a copy of the paper ''Lacerba'' and an article by one of the founders of the

futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such ...

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 de ...

. 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 A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...

''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

Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (french: Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes) was a World's fair held in Paris, France, from April to October 1925. It was designed by the Fre ...

(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 comp ...

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

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'', 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 appearance ...

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 The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ...

'' 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 wit ...

, 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 and th ...

, 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 opposing ...

, 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 New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It i ...

, 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 ap ...

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 Fausto Melotti (1901–1986) was an Italian sculptor, ceramicist, poet, and theorist. Life Fausto Melotti was born in the city of Rovereto, a city just east of Lake Garda in northeastern Italy in 1901. He had a sister, Renata Melotti, who was ...

, Gino 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 (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

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 Guggenheim

Depero 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