A dynasty of dynamic simplicity, the classification of contemporary & chic has become increasingly popular.  But one name from the past has somehow found its niche in this category of modernity. Something alluring, something artistic. Black & white.  The name Fornasetti.

Italian painter & interior decorator Piero Fornasetti started his company with a series of 6 white plates stamped with an enigmatic face of a woman. Having seen the image of opera singer Lina Cavalieri while looking through a 19th century French magazine, Piero was drawn to her archetypal, classic female features. Beautiful like a Greek statue, but intriguing like Mona Lisa.

And if the painting of Mona Lisa makes us wonder about her smile, Fornasetti’s eyes pull at our curiosity to try to decipher her thoughts. Her aura is playfully mysterious. As the leading lady of the brand, she is the permanent fixture under the Fornasetti spotlight. The show belongs to her. And over the years, the theme has expanded to reach 350 different variations as it’s been reproduced on every day objects from ashtrays to cabinets to umbrella stands.

Today, under the reign of Piero’s son, Barnaba, the brand continues its legacy. Other recurring images have swept across Fornasetti, which include the sun, playing cards, harlequins & hands. Something to leave you to wonder. If walls could talk, they would share a million secrets. Walls have ears, but Fornasetti has eyes. Someone is always watching. | Giuseppe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pictures courtesy Fornasetti