Fortunato Depero

Born in Fondo, near Trento, Depero trained in technical and applied arts. At the age of 22, after discoving Futurism through the Lacerba paper and Marinetti article, he moved to Rome. Here he met Balla, with whom he created The Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe. In 1919 back to Rovereto to found the Casa d’Arte Futurista, a collection of futurist objects, toys and furniture. In 1927 Depero collaborated with the publisher Dinamo-Azari in Milan on the “Bolted Book” entitled Depero Futurista. The following year he moved to New York, where he worked as graphic designer for the New Yorker, Vogue, Vanity Fair, as interior designer and art director for San Pellegrino and Campari advertisting, including the design of the iconic Campari soda bottle. During ‘30s and ‘40s, Depero continued to team up with Balla and directed the futurist magazine Dinamo. In 1947 he moved back to New York, where he published his autobiography So I think, so I paint. Ideologies of a Self-Made Painter. After two years in Connecticut, he spent his last years in Rovereto: his Museum Gallery Depero opened in 1959, only 15 months before his death.