What was Mariano Fortuny famous for?

Mariano Fortuny was famous for his work as a designer. The Spanish fashion designer was a true artist who worked with beautiful fabrics as his medium of choice. Although he showed talent in painting, sculpture, photography and architecture at an early age, fashion was where he really shone. A lifelong inventor, Fortuny began patenting his creations in 1901. By 1934, he had registered more than 20 patents. At the same time, his fashion career was taking off. In 1907, he designed the Delphos gown with Negrin, which French novelist and essayist Marcel Proust described as "faithfully antique but markedly original." Fortuny had worked from his home until 1922, when increased demand required large-scale production. He opened a factory in Venice, where, due to the scarcity of silk, he began experimenting with cotton. Despite his success, by the end of the 1930s, Fortuny returned to painting and stepped away from the busy fashion industry. Explore a range of Mariano Fortuny pieces on 1stDibs.