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.
H 79 in W 79 in D 1.25 in
Citta de Carte/Farfalle Folding Screen by Piero Fornasetti
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Montreal, QC
Rare and Exceptionally decorated reverse side trompe l’oeil “Citta de Carte” and "Farfalle" four panel folding screen by Piero Fornasetti. lithographic printed and hand colouring on ...
Wood
H 1.58 in W 5.52 in D 4.14 in
FORNASETTI City of Cards Playing Cards Box
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage poker playing cards box in walnut wood and "City of Cards" enameled metal case cover, it holds two packs of cards / designed by Piero Fornasetti, made in Italy in the 1970s L...
Metal
H 91.74 in W 110.24 in D 3.15 in
Pompeian Folding Screen in the Style of Piero Fornasetti, Italy, circa 1960
By Fornasetti
Located in PARIS, FR
Pompeian Folding Screen in the Style of Piero Fornasetti, Italy, circa 1960 Striking and highly decorative folding screen inspired by the unmistakable visual language of Piero Forna...
Fabric, Fruitwood
H 81.11 in W 78.75 in D 1.19 in
20th Century, Piero Fornasetti Decorative Wooden Screen Gran Coromandel
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Torino, Piemonte
Piero Fornasetti was an Italian painter, sculptor, decorator, and craftsman who used ornamental and pictorial motifs to decorate silk scarves, furniture, plates, vessels, and similar...
Wood
H 81.11 in W 78.75 in D 1.19 in
20th Century, Piero Fornasetti Decoratvie Wooden Screen Gran Coromandel
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Torino, Piemonte
Piero Fornasetti was an Italian painter, sculptor, decorator, and craftsman who used ornamental and pictorial motifs to decorate silk scarves, furniture, plates, vessels, and similar...
Wood
H 53.15 in W 56.3 in D 1.19 in
Piero Fornasetti paraventi screen Italy 1954
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare early paraventi / foldable screen designed by Piero Fornasetti and manufactured by Fornasetti in Italy in 1954. This version consists a ‘Libri’ theme on one side and a 'Battaglia Navale’ theme on the other. Fornasetti had many artistic interests; graphic design, decorative arts, historical prints, Italian art and architecture, Surrealism. And they all inspired his unique approach to decoration. The folding screen was one of his favourite formats, and here he has covered the screen’s surface with on one side books and objects like a vase, glass, shell, a roman foot, feather and more. The other side has a nautic war...
Brass
H 53.75 in W 52 in D 9 in
Vintage Piero Fornasetti Strumenti Musical or Libri Screen
By Fornasetti
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An iconic mid-size screen depicting a library shelf on one side and musical instruments on the verso. A period example, circa 1954. Measures: 53 1/2" high.
Wood
H 53.75 in W 27.56 in D 0.6 in
FORNASETTI Set of 2 "Città Di Carte" Panels
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare original vintage set of 2 "Città di Carta" screen print on wood panels, designed by Piero Fornasetti / made in Milan Italy by Fornasetti Original label on the back Each panel ha...
Wood
H 53.75 in W 55 in D 2 in
Trompe L’oeil “Libri” Four-Panel Folding Screen By Piero Fornasetti.
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Montreal, QC
lithographic transfer-printed and lacquered wood trompe L"oeil “Libri” four-panel folding screen by Piero Fornasetti the reverse with musical instruments Fornasetti Milano Italy, 195...
Wood
H 79 in W 59.25 in D 1.25 in
Lacquered Wood "Palloni" Folding Screen by Piero Fornasetti
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Montreal, QC
Lithographical Transfert on Lacquered Wood "Palloni" Folding Screen by Piero Fornasetti Designed 1954 Marked to bottom corner: Fornasetti / Milano / Made in Italy; further inscribed:...
Wood
Bianca Garinei for Bancorp Florence 1970s Sculptural Mirror
By Banci Firenze, Banci
Located in New York, NY
A handcrafted sculptural steel mirror done in the brutal style by Italian artist, Bianca Garinei for Banci Florence. Signed.
Steel
Pair of Luciano Frigerio 1970s Bronze Mirrors
By Luciano Frigerio
Located in New York, NY
A set of two decorative bronze rectangular mirrors designed by the Italian designer, Luciano Frigerio.
Bronze
French Art Deco 1930s Torchiere Ceramic Table Lamp
By Jean Besnard
Located in New York, NY
An original 1930s French Art Deco uplight ceramic table lamp made in the Crispe coral like style of the artist Jean Besnard. Rewired with a standard 200 watt socket.
Ceramic
Willy Luckyx Aluclair Belgian One of a Kind 1970s Table
By W. Luyckx 1, Aluclair
Located in New York, NY
A handmade hammered and burnished aluminum coffee table by Belgian artist , Willy Luyckx for Aluclair. Willy Luyckx was a goldsmith who worked for goldsmith Camille Colruyt before...
Aluminum
Willy Luyckx Aluclair Belgian 1970s Sculptural Table
By Aluclair, W. Luyckx 1
Located in New York, NY
A rare original 1970s handmade burnt and hammered aluminum and smoked glass table by Belgian goldsmith, Willy Luyckx for Aluclair. Willy Luyckx was a...
Aluminum
Pair of 1940s American Marianna von Allesch Ceramic Table Lamps
By Marianna von Allesch
Located in New York, NY
Pair of original art pottery table lamps by famed American artist, Marianna con Allesch. Signed. Rewired with aged brass double sockets and brown cloth cords. The ceramic bodies are ...
Ceramic
