Fornasetti

Inside the World of Famed Design House Fornasetti

Filed under: Decor, Books, Architecture & Design

With an incredible 3,000 photographs and illustrations, Rizzoli's massive new monograph on iconic Italian design house Fornasetti is a work of art in itself. Fornasetti: The Complete Universe details how the firm's founder Piero Fornasetti (1913–1988) achieved fame transforming everyday objects into works of art featuring idiosyncratic designs. His work is carried on today by his son Barnaba Fornasetti, who now runs the Fornasetti atelier and authored the impressive volume. Designed to be an "artist's book" that reflects Fornasetti's iconic overall approach to design, the slipcased $250 monograph is divided into two sections: the first half is dedicated to Piero Fornasetti as an artist and highlights his pictorial and graphic work and their artistic applications; the second half focuses on the 70-plus years of the atelier's production.

This includes furniture, sculptures and etchings, graphics, textiles, glass, screens, trays, ceramics, and more. The second section covers the activity of the atelier up to the present day as well. The book also addresses Barnaba's commitment to keeping the Fornasetti legacy alive by showing how Piero's ideas and models are "transformed, reworked, and contextualized." Today the Fornasetti atelier not only reissues historical pieces, but also "offers reinterpretations of themes and objects drawing inspiration from the vast repertory of the atelier's archive of lithographic plates, designs, notes, documents, and objects." Finally, the beautiful and comprehensive book includes a list of exhibitions and a register of the atelier's complete works.

Gallery: Fornasetti: The Complete Universe

Curved chest of drawers, Palladiana (Palladian Motif)

Piero Fornasetti with the Braccio con moneta (Arm with a Coin) tray

Plate 150 from Tema e Variazioni (Theme and Variations) series

Tags: books, coffee table books, decor, design, Fornasetti, furniture, Italy, photographs, Rizzoli

Great Art in Great Books of 2010

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Books

Asian Art Now by Melissa Chiu and Benjamin Genocchio (Monacelli Press, $60)
Chiu is the Museum Director of Asia Society in New York. Genocchio is an art critic for the New York Times. Together they have written an up-to-the-second survey of contemporary Asian art. Throughout this lavishly illustrated book, the authors reflect on the conflicted responses of artists, both established and emerging, to the super-fast changes in their lives. The book is fascinating primarily because the Asian landscape is changing so rapidly. This forces artists to confront these changes and examine the impact on their social, economic, and urban culture and environment. The front cover is just one example of the dynamic work the two authors examine. It is an illustration of Ah Xian's China, China ---Bust 14, a cast porcelain with traditional Chinese ceramic designs and motifs.

Tags: American nudes, art books, billy baldwin, coffee table books, Fornasetti, henri matisse, Hokusai, Indonesian textiles, Jung, Matisse

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Tony Duquette Rug Collection Launched by Roubini

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

"They are crazy rugs but that's what I like," says Michael Roubini of Roubini Rugs. Since 1985, his family's rug company has been partnering with designers to create special collections. Being Italian, they started with some of their favorite Italian designers such as Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Versace and Fornasetti. Last week they added a new, bold-faced name to their list of collaborators.

A reception at the company's New York showroom launched its newest line in partnership with the Tony Duquette company. Duquette (above right), who designed sets for Fred Astaire musicals, jewelry for Tom Ford and costumes for Broadway plays, in addition to a host of lavish interiors, passed away in 1999, but his business partner of 25 years, Hutton Wilkinson (above left) has carried on the venerable "More is More" mantra of the interior design business.

Gallery: Tony Duquette Rug Collection by Roubini

Tags: baker furniture, BakerFurniture, fornasetti, jim thompson, roberto cavalli, RobertoCavalli, roubini rugs, RoubiniRugs, tom ford, TomFord, tony duquette, tony duquette company, tony duquette fabric, tony duquette rugs, TonyDuquetteCompany, TonyDuquetteFabric, TonyDuquetteRugs, versace

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Fornasetti Scarves Get A New Life At Moss

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Moss, New York's store for fashionable and quirky design, has always had a good supply of Fornasetti products. Now Murray Moss has worked with Barnaba, the son of Piero Fornasetti to bring back three silk scarves from the Fornasetti archives. The three designs are ones which were designed and produced in the 1950s. 'Arlecchino' and 'Acrobati' are long thin scarves printed on a silk chiffon and sell for $198 each while 'Times' shown above is printed on a silk twill and sells for $595. The production is described as "very limited." With newspapers disappearing at a rapid rate, the image of wildflowers wrapped up in newsprint seems both very retro and oddly comforting.

Gallery: Fornasetti Scarves

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Tags: design, fornasetti, scarves

Piero Fornasetti Comes to a Screen Near You

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

It's the flat screen tv as canvas -- design co. Detour Moves has compiled a disc of animated interpretations of Fornasetti designs, inspired by Italian designer Piero Fornasetti's Theme & Variations. Each disc holds more than 500 images that rotate on your television, transforming a blank screen into changeable art that's peering at you -- this is Fornasetti after all -- as often as you peer at it.

The 3,000 discs were produced in a limited edition and come in a unique black lacquer box. All for $175.

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Tags: art, flat screen, FlatScreen, fornasetti, themes and variations, ThemesAndVariations

New Roubini Rugs will Dazzle You

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Art

The newest addition to the Roubini Rug collection are the uniquely fashioned Fornasetti Rugs. Reflecting the original designer, Piero Fornasetti's, whimsical artwork, the rugs certainly make a great statement. Constructed from silk and wool they vary in size and price and are available in custom proportions.

3' x 5' = $3,000
7' x 7' = $14,000
8'3" and up (round) = $24,000

I think the rugs with the single eye would make a bold statement in a downtown loft or modern house. Peruse the gallery and see for yourself the unique flavor of these works of art.

Gallery: Fornasetti Rugs

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Tags: fornasetti, roubini, roubini-rugs

Fornasetti Face Jar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

I love the Fornasetti face plates but but is it just me or is the jar creepy? Ask me to scrape cheesecake off one of the plates adorned with the 19th century image of Lina Cavalieri, no problem but this jar with the same face would be a great place to store cookies when I am on a diet. I wouldn't go near it. Poor lovely Lina looks like she swallowed a light bulb. It's eerie enough in white but Fornasetti also makes it in a red version that is downright devilish. The jar sells for $495.

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Tags: art, china, decor, design, fornasetti, jar