PIERO FORNASETTI (Milan, 1913 – 1988) for BARDELLI, Italy.
"Città di Carte (City of Cards)".
Ceramic wall panels in six with polychrome printed decoration.Measurements: 162 x 183 cm (total size), composed of six pieces of 81 x 61 cm. each one.
This six-panel ceramic wall follows the original design of “Citta di Carte”, one of the most representative themes of Fornasetti's imagination. This famous and sought-after model was used for the first time in the creation of a four-panel wooden screen known for being the first screen created by Piero Fornasetti. Since then, this theme has been crowned as an emblem of the brand, being the image of countless objects from Atelier Fornasetti.
Piero Fornasetti was an Italian multidisciplinary artist who stood out especially in the world of design, engraving and illustration. He lived most of his life in Milan, although the Second World War caused him to go into exile in Switzerland between 1943 – 1946. When he returned to Italy he returned with renewed strength and an even more defined style. For what later became his best-known creation, “Themes and Variations,” he used the face of the opera singer Lina Cavalieri as a muse, which he printed on a set of more than 350 plates and in total more than 11,000 parts. He found the singer's face in a 19th century magazine and, enthralled by her classical beauty, endlessly created more than 500 variations of it. Its decorative motifs nod to Roman and Greek architecture, as well as the sun and time. His son, Barnaba Fornisetti, took over the family workshop and currently continues with the production of pieces that are hugely popular in the world of interior design.