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Piero Fornasetti

Italian, 1913-1988

The Italian artist and designer Piero Fornasetti was one of the wittiest and most imaginative 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 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 decorative objects to dinner plates, table lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often Surrealist 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 Fornasetti's 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 the artist's collaborator and patron. Beginning in the early 1950s, they created a striking 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.

Find vintage Piero Fornasetti dinner plates, chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$2,182
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Piero Fornasetti "Mitologia" Coasters in Original Box
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Atlanta, GA
Piero Fornasetti "Mitologia" coasters in original box, Italy, circa 1950s. Nice to find them in their original box, however tattered. This set original...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Porcelain

Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Set of 8 Gilted Astrolabe Plates
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Paris, FR
Piero Fornasetti 1913-1988 lived and worked in Milano and he was very fond of science. This series normally is composed of 12 designs about astrolabe or "Astrolabos" in Greece which ...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Porcelain

Piero Fornasetti Series 8 Coasters Commissioned by Banca Unione Milan
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Prato, Tuscany
We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Complete set of eight porcelain coasters produced in 1970 by Piero Fornasetti; they were expressly commissioned by the Banca Unione of Milan; the graphics with the decoration "Le Monete" represents eight variations on the theme of coins made in black and pure gold with the third firing; the term "third firing" means, in ceramics, the third firing that is applied to an object to add decorations, especially those in pure gold, a technique that requires great skill and precision; the saucers represent in numerical order 1)Boat, 2)Home, 3)idea, 4)Everything, 5)Holidays, 6)Christmas, 7)Student, 8)Car; they are contained in a golden cardboard case. These are Fine collectibles in excellent condition; the saucers were created in 1970 to be given as gifts by Banca Unione of Milan to its customers; they were made by Piero Fornasetti (1931-1988) a versatile and eclectic founder of the design and decorative arts atelier that bears his name. The Banca Unione was established in 1919 by Carlo Feltrinelli, father of Giangiacomo, a publisher very close to the left; among the minority shareholders were Bastogi (the largest Italian financial); since 1968 the bank became the property of the financier and fixer Michele Sindona (1920-1986) who secured the absolute majority along with the Vatican; the Bank dedicated itself to the Italian market by launching an unprecedented commercial policy, in an attempt to reconcile the interests of the institution with socially advanced actions. According to Sindona, in Italy, banks were only interested in the wealthy, snubbing the categories of workers with modest incomes. Sindona overturned this logic and, ahead of his time, sent Banca Unione promoters into the factories. Sindona was a member of the P2 lodge (card no. 0501) and had clear associations with Cosa Nostra and the Gambino family in the United States. Involved in the Calvi affair, he was behind the murder of Giorgio Ambrosoli. He died poisoned...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Modern Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Porcelain

Pietro Fornasetti, Rare metal Bookend Janus Two-Faced 1950s (First edition)
By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti
Located in Argelato, BO
Pietro Fornasetti, Rare metal bookend from the 1950s (First edition) In the extraordinary creative imagination of Pietro Fornasetti every household object is transformed and embelli...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Metal

Set of 4 Golden & White Ceramic Small Coaster, Fornasetti Mitologia Series
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Varese, Lombardia
This Fornasetti Mitologia set includes four 4 inch (10.5 cm) coasters, . These are in very good condition considering their age, with slight fading of the gold and some very light sc...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Gold Plate

Fornasetti Dog Bowl, round concave tray, Gordon Setter
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Portman Gallery (Brooklyn, NY) is joyously offering this vintage Fornasetti hollow concave ceramic dog bowl, green glaze with gilding, in very, very good vintage condition. I have n...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Ceramic

Vintage Curved Chest of Drawers Architettura by Fornasetti
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage curved chest of drawers Architettura by Fornasetti Iconic Fornasetti Architettura model, silkscreened, painted and lacquered by hand. Decoration of a Renaissance building. ...
Category

20th Century Italian Neoclassical Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Mahogany, Poplar

Piero Fornasetti tripod table with flower motif
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in London, GB
A truly beautiful tripod t’aide table by Piero Fornasetti . Exceptional condition signed and labelled. C1965 Italy
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Brass

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Piero Fornasetti furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Piero Fornasetti furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Piero Fornasetti furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 391 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 1 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Piero Fornasetti were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Archimede Seguso, Flavio Poli, and Richard Ginori. Prices for Piero Fornasetti furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $120 and can go as high as $54,990, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,262.
Questions About Piero Fornasetti
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Piero Fornasetti was an Italian artist and designer born in Milan, Italy, in 1913. In 1950, he founded an atelier in the city, creating furniture and home decorations. Fornasetti died on October 9, 1988. His company, Fornasetti, continues to produce hand-decorated decor under the guidance of his son Barnaba Fornasetti. Find a collection of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Whether or not Piero Fornasetti images are in the public domain depends on the image. The artist produced more than 11,000 works during his lifetime. Only some no longer carry a copyright and are in the public domain. Shop a range of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.

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