Piero Fornasetti: Practical Madness - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0500239371 ISBN 13: 9780500239377

Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2015

Synopsis

Piero Fornasetti was a master of the decorative imagination. His motifs conjure up the illusionism of Arcimboldo, the grand architectural fantasies of Piranesi and Palladio, and something of the wit of Pirandello or even Picasso. Fornasettis decorations transform furniture, created in collaboration with Gio Ponti, into art objects touched by trompe loeil humour. His designs endure in an astonishing variety of forms: chairs, desks, screens, pianos, plates, masks and other objects all present the artists timeless vocabulary. Fornasettis endless invention is celebrated here in a book published to coincide with a major retrospective exhibition in Paris. His visual puns and decorative devices are set out in the context of his paintings, little considered until now. Bibliophilia occupies centre stage, with graphic schemes, designs for imaginary libraries and bookcases set in ironic interiors. The book gathers a plentiful array of his famous Themes and Variations, a series of plate designs drawing on over 500 variations on the face of a famous operatic beauty. A full chronology of Fornasettis life and work accompanies the text.

About this title

Review:

A handsome new volume, thoughtfully edited ... it is a valuable object in itself, its design an example of how to make high-end art books remain covetable. --World of Interiors

Folding papers, numerous full-colour illustrations and inserted leaflets printed on the most tactile of papers, make this book an object akin to Fornasetti's most beloved, and collectible creations. --somethingaboutmagazine.com

From the Back Cover:

His designs endure in an astonishing variety of forms: chairs, desks, screens, pianos, plates, masks and other objects all present the artists timeless vocabulary. Fornasettis endless invention is celebrated here in a book published to coincide with a major retrospective exhibition in Paris. His visual puns and decorative devices are set out in the context of his paintings, little considered until now. Bibliophilia occupies centre stage, with graphic schemes, designs for imaginary libraries and bookcases set in ironic interiors. The book gathers a plentiful array of his famous Themes and Variations, a series of plate designs drawing on over 500 variations on the face of a famous operatic beauty. A full chronology of Fornasettis life and work accompanies the text.

About this edition

• Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0500239371
• ISBN 13: 9780500239377
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288
• Editor: Patrick Mauriès