The Italian artist, illustrator and furniture maker Piero Fornasetti was one of the wittiest and most imaginative design talents of the 20th century. He crafted an inimitable decorative style from a personal vocabulary of images that included birds, butterflies, hot-air balloons, architecture and — most frequently, and in some 500 variations — an enigmatic woman’s face based on that of the 19th-century opera singer Lina Cavalieri. Fornasetti used transfer prints of these images, rendered in the style of engravings, to decorate an endless variety of furnishings and housewares that ranged from chairs, tables and desks to dinner plates, lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often surreal and always fun.
Fornasetti was born in Milan, the son of an accountant, and he lived his entire life in the city. He showed artistic talent as a child and enrolled at Milan’s Brera Academy of Fine Art in 1930, but was expelled after two years for consistently failing to follow his professors’ orders. A group of his hand-painted silk scarves, displayed in the 1933 Triennale di Milano, caught the eye of the architect and designer Gio Ponti, who, in the 1940s, became Fornasetti’s collaborator and patron. Beginning in the early 1950s, they created a striking a series of desks, bureaus and secretaries that pair Ponti’s signature angular forms with Fornasetti’s decorative motifs — lighthearted arrangements of flowers and birds on some pieces, austere architectural imagery on others. The two worked together on numerous commissions for interiors, though their greatest project has been lost: the first-class lounges and restaurants of the luxury ocean liner Andrea Doria, which sank in 1956.
Fornasetti furnishings occupy an unusual and compelling niche in the decorative arts: they are odd yet pack a serious punch. They act, essentially, as functional sculpture. A large Fornasetti piece such as a cabinet or a desk can change the character of an entire room; his smaller works have the aesthetic power of a vase of flowers, providing a bright and alluring decorative note. The chimerical, fish-nor-fowl nature of Fornasetti’s work may be its greatest strength. It stands on its own. Bringing the Fornasetti look into the future is Barnaba Fornasetti, who took the reins of the company after his father's death.
$950
Piero Fornasetti, Mid-Century Modern, Exhibition Poster, Paper, Light Wood Frame
By Fornasetti
Located in Stamford, CT
Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Exhibition Poster, Deocrative Art, Framed PIERO FORNASETTI (1913-1988) 'Fornasetti's Decorative Objects' poster Italy, 1989 Provenance: Christie...
Wood, Paper
Set of 8 porcelain egg cups by Fornasetti
By Fornasetti
Located in Milano, IT
Italy, Milano 1950’s D 14,5 Eight porcelain egg cups decorated with medallions.
Porcelain
Yes You Can Can
Located in Deddington, GB
Yes You Can Can (Splats Edition) by Amy Gardner [2020] limited_edition Screen Print, Watercolour Edition number 40 Image size: H:50 cm x W:50 cm Sold Unframed Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look Only AP works left in this edition. This print is about women supporting women. 'YES YOU CAN CAN' splats edition limited edition of 40 Archival Bread & Butter bright white paper 270gsm 50x 50cms 5 screen...
Paper, Watercolor, Screen
$407
H 21.93 in W 22.05 in D 0.04 in
Ripples of Colour, Art print, Abstract, Water, Line art, Blue green, red, white
By Chris Keegan
Located in Deddington, GB
This is a Five colour screen print Including a metallic Silver layer. This print is then finished off by drawing over the print with multi-coloured paint including Gold, Yellow and G...
Paper, Screen
$611
H 15.75 in W 21.26 in
Guy Allen, Dachshund and Butterfly, Affordable Animal Art, Limited Edition Print
By Guy Allen
Located in Deddington, GB
Guy Allen Dachshund and Butterfly Etching Edition Size: 75 Year Completed: 2015 Image Size: H 40m x W 54 cm Approximate Size When Framed: H 69c...
Paper, Etching
$203
H 18.31 in W 15.75 in D 0.04 in
Harry Bunce, Matty Groves, Limited Edition Print, Fox Art, Affordable art
By Harry Bunce
Located in Deddington, GB
'Matty Groves' by Harry Bunce is a limited edition print. This print features a fox dressed in a suit and shirt with a bright pink tie, he is holding a knife and is looking off into ...
Paper, Archival Pigment
KPM Porcelain Plaque - "Victory Personified" 19th Century Woman
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Frame Size: Hight: 18″ x Width: 12.25″ Picture Size: Hight: 9″ x Width: 6.12″ Experience the allure of victory with this exquisite 19th Century Hand Painted Plaque depicting a bea...
Porcelain
$893
H 15.75 in W 12.6 in D 0.4 in
Baroque religious devotional engraving and embroidery, representing the Virgin o
Located in Valladolid, ES
Exquisite and iconic Baroque religious devotional engraving and embroidery, 18th century, depicting Our Lady of Mercy with the Child Jesus, framed in its original carved and polychro...
Silk, Paper
$244
H 18.51 in W 15.75 in D 1.38 in
ICES Kiosk, Bexhill-on-Sea - Retro English Typography Color Photography
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
ICES Kiosk, Richard recisited the location of his best selling artwork, capturing this cute vignette of the seaside kiosk. This artwork is a limited edition of 25, gloss photographi...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Monumental Chinese Famille Rose Medallion Vase, 20th Century
Located in Beachwood, OH
Monumental Chinese Famille Rose Medallion Vase, 20th Century Porcelain 36 x 18 inches Famille rose is an 18th century Chinese porcelain, characterized by its pink-colored enamel.
Porcelain
Water Lilies
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in New York, NY
Published in 1990 by Rosenthal, Germany, Roy Lichtenstein’s, Water Lilies is an exquisite glazed porcelain charger, brilliantly colored, accompanied by signed certification. Stamp si...
Porcelain, Screen
$366
H 18.12 in W 25.2 in D 0.04 in
The Red One, Sweet Art, Quality Street Artwork, Still Life Artwork, Food Art
By Simon Dry
Located in Deddington, GB
Limited edition print of the original ‘The Red One’ Quality Street Strawberry Cream image by Simon Dry. The first print onto Fabriano paper is over painted in white by Simon and then over printed again to create a uniquely textured hand finished surface. Each print becomes a richly coloured and individual piece of art in a limited edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist. Simon Dry original art and prints available online and in the gallery at Wychwood Art. Simon Dry trained as a graphic designer, graduating with a BA (Hons) from Ravensbourne College of Art & Design. He has run Drydesign in London, Dublin and Suffolk, using skills learned in this time to create SweetArt along with his wife, Vic. Artist Simon Dry has created highly original art of much loved sweets, made solely from discarded Quality Street wrappers. These iconic artworks feature Dolly Mixture, Fab ice lolly...
Paper, Screen
$1,874
H 7.88 in W 7.88 in D 3.94 in
Rabbit Hole (Brown) - original realism wildlife sculpture-painting-artwork-art
By Henk Jan Sanderman
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Porcelain, Canvas
$5,000
H 13 in W 6.5 in D 5 in
Pair of French Porcelain de Paris Gold Urns with Scenes of Roman History
Located in Beachwood, OH
Pair of French Porcelain de Paris Gold Urns with Scenes of Roman History, Early 19th Century 13 x 6.5 x 5 inches The base of one urn states “Tibrius Gracchus Ferme Le Temple De Satu...
Porcelain
Sold
H 11.82 in W 11.82 in D 11.03 in
Italian Ceramic 'Testa di Moro' Vase or Jardiniere by Piero Fornasetti, Milan
By Fornasetti
Located in Bournemouth, Dorset
VASE/JARDINIERE - Italian Ceramic 'Testa di Moro' Vase by Piero Fornasetti, Milan, circa 1960, with black glaze, worn red velvet on base, marked 'Fornasetti, Milan, Made in Italy. G...
Ceramic
THE CAT - Fornasetti glazed tile Milan , Italy 1980s
By Fornasetti
Located in Napoli, IT
Underglaze glazed ceramic tile in white, black and red depicting a cat.. years 1980/90 - Fornasetti Milan
Ceramic, Glaze
Sold
H 8 in Dm 10.5 in
Piero Fornasetti, set of six porcelain plates from the Tema E Variazioni series
By Fornasetti
Located in San Rafael, CA
A wonderful set of six Piero Fornasetti porcelain plates from the Tema E Variazioni series. Marked Fornasetti-Milano, Made in Italy on the reverse. Fornasetti frequently utilized thi...
Porcelain
Eyes
By Fornasetti
Located in Missouri, MO
PIERO FORNASETTI (1913-1988) DINNER PLATE, 1950s lithographically-decorated porcelain 12" Diameter Marked FORNASETTI MILANO MADE IN ITALY, and nunbered 168
Ceramic
Fornasetti Milano Posateria 5 Gold Coasters Pin Dishes
By Fornasetti
Located in Austin, TX
Artist: Fornasetti Item: 5 Posateria pin dishes/coasters. Circa - 1950's , Made for Roos Bros. , San Francisco Manufacture - Fornasetti , Milano , Italy With printed retailer’s labe...
Porcelain
Fornasetti Tema e Variazioni Plate
By Fornasetti
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fornasetti Tema e Variazioni Plate iconic design stamped and hand-numbered #139 on base
Ceramic