Who was Fortunato Depero?
Born in 1892 in Fondo, in the province of Trento, Fortunato Depero can be considered one of the most eclectic artists of twentieth-century Italy. A leading exponent of Futurism, Depero was among the artists who signed the 1926 manifesto on "aeropainting", a Futurist painting style which aimed to give viewers the feeling of flying though the use of dynamic, “dizzying” perspectives.
He worked as a painter, sculptor, designer, advertiser… and even as a stylist and choreographer. In addition to creating the costumes for Stravinsky’s ballet Le chant du rossignol in 1916, between 1923 and 1924 Depero designed the “futurist vests” which were worn by many artists in the movement, including Filippo Tommaso Marinetti.
What’s more, Depero produced many iconic and unforgettable posters during the twenties for Campari, the company for which he also created the famous pyramid-shaped bottle that remains unchanged to this day.
The main works of his which you can admire in Trentino include the council chambers of the autonomous province of Trento, modelled and decorated between 1953-1956, and above all the Casa d’Arte Futurista Fortunato Depero, Italy’s only futurist museum. With hundreds of pieces by the artist himself and just a ten-minute walk from Mart, it is a truly unmissable stop with which to follow a visit to the exhibition.
