Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
The Italian artist and designer Piero Fornasetti was one of the wittiest and most imaginative 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 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 decorative objects to dinner plates, table lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often Surrealist 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 Fornasetti's 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 the artist's collaborator and patron. Beginning in the early 1950s, they created a striking 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.
Find vintage Piero Fornasetti dinner plates, chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Brass
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Brass
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Mahogany
1840s Danish Empire Antique Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Brass
19th Century French French Provincial Antique Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Iron
19th Century Neoclassical Antique Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Wood, Paint
1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Teak
Early 18th Century German Baroque Antique Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Pine
Mid-19th Century French Antique Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Bamboo
18th Century Swedish Antique Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Wood
1940s French Chinese Export Vintage Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Brass, Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Lacquer
1980s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Wood
1990s Italian Piero Fornasetti Cabinets
Wood
Piero Fornasetti cabinets for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to Piero Fornasetti
- Who is Piero Fornasetti?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Piero Fornasetti was an Italian artist and designer born in Milan, Italy, in 1913. In 1950, he founded an atelier in the city, creating furniture and home decorations. Fornasetti died on October 9, 1988. His company, Fornasetti, continues to produce hand-decorated decor under the guidance of his son Barnaba Fornasetti. Find a collection of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMay 14, 2024Piero Fornasetti is famous for his work as a designer. The Italian artist was one of the wittiest and most imaginative talents of the 20th century. Fornasetti 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 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 decorative objects to dinner plates, table lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often Surrealist and always fun. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of Piero Fornasetti pieces.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Whether or not Piero Fornasetti images are in the public domain depends on the image. The artist produced more than 11,000 works during his lifetime. Only some no longer carry a copyright and are in the public domain. Shop a range of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.