| Media Release - The Fornasetti Collection |
| When the surreal imagination of Piero Fornasetti meets the creative and technical virtuosity of Cole & Son a unique collection of wallpaper is born “I miei sogni li traduco in realtà, qualunque cosa faccia” I translate my dreams into reality, whatever I do – Piero Fornasetti When the surreal imagination of Piero Fornasetti meets the creative and technical virtuosity of Cole &, Son a unique collection of wallpaper is born. Barnaba, Piero’s son, who now runs the iconic Fornasetti company together with Karen Beauchamp, Creative Director of Coles, have selected fine archive drawings representative of the visionary artist’s genius. ,TEMA E VARIAZIONI ,is based on the enigmatic face of a girl Fornasetti saw in a 19th century French magazine and for which he is universally known. During his lifetime he drew more than 350 variations of the face, Coles have chosen 6 for the repeat and now walls will reflect her knowing gaze. The white circular portraits are on a background of burgundy, light mist *or* petrol silver. The classically designed sun is a favourite Fornasetti device and this version was used on a series of 1950s plates. This emblem of the Mediterranean area is given a benign face set in a halo of rays in IL SOLE. Suns in black, silver and gold are displayed on backgrounds of copper, scarlet, taupe *or* black. EX LIBRIS, a detail taken from a 1953 screen, speaks volumes with a faux library of books bound in pigskin and buff on black shelves, pale sepia on silver books with dark stone shelves, parchment on black and white books with pale taupe shelves and for lovers of purple prose, magenta and gold books on black shelves. Designed in the late 1940s for the entrance hall of his own house in Milan, ,MEDITERRANEA is a hypnotic cityscape of roofs, gilded domes and gardens with a repeating pattern that stimulates the optical effect. In a daytime version with buildings defined in black and gold on white *or* nocturnal in black and humid ginger with gold domes. Expansively drawn in inspired detail, RIFLESSO is an atmospheric reflected depiction of Baroque Rome as seen through Fornasetti’s surrealistic eye circa 1955. Taken from the screen ‘Citta che si Rispecchia’ it was also used on custom made furniture for Gio Ponti. The right-hand side is a mirror image of the left with the scene reflected in water and a foreground of ruins. In dramatic colourways of white and black with silver and gold highlights *or* parchment and black with silver and gold. Wide width 140 cm. PRIMAVERA, a detail taken from the motif ‘Grand Coromandel’ inspired by chinoiseries, celebrates spring with insects cross-pollinating voluptuous flowers in hues of lime and silver, azure and gold, black and tinted silver *or* taupe and copper bronze. Branches of feathery coral are suspended in CORALLO as though floating in a coloured sea. Set free from its original tray and umbrella stand, the wallpaper design is in colourways of charcoal, black, pink, purple and silver, off white, black, red and gold, muted neutrals *or* charcoal with copper, silver, gold and black. RAMO is an oversized branch of shadowy skeletal leaves 76 cm high. The design adorned a tray in the 1950s and is now resplendent in gold and black on a wine red ground, silver and mauve on eau de nil, white and charcoal on dull gold *or* white and taupe on corn. Fornasetti’s love of exuberant flowers is typified in FIORI taken from a 1953 design, ‘Fiori nella Notte’ on a chest of drawers. A criss-cross of garlands attended by the artist’s cherished butterflies, the wallpaper is in multicolours on jet black ground, black and white flowers on charcoal lustre, metallics on stone *or* vivid flowers on blue sky. Bubbly bouquets of PEONIE, originally adorning a 1940s silk scarf, are resplendent in silver lustre ground and pinks, copper, burgundy and lime, red, magenta and orange on neutral *or* metallics on neutral. Delicately coloured ORTENSIA is shadowed by simpler sketch versions in the background. Originally a 1950s design for a table and trays, colours include dark purple ground with bronze and wine, white, grey and silver, Prices are per 10 metre roll (11 yards) by 52cm (20.5 ins) |
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