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FORTUNATO DEPERO IN SICILY

There are often small events in the lives of artists that can leave a mark, inspire or change the game.
Fortunato Depero’s stay in Sicily did not change the life of the futurist artist, but it did lead to the creation of a book and forever linked the destiny of a great creative with that of the island.

Fortunato Depero in Sicily

Il libro imbullonato di Depero

Fortunato Depero made a trip to Sicily in 1926
He was a guest of his friend and futurist Guglielmo Jannelli, who had invited him to design the furnishings and decoration of the Villino Mamertino in Castroreale, today Terme Vigliatore.
The project never saw the light of day and the furniture was never made, but Depero spent about ten days in the province of Messina, remaining fascinated by the town and the surrounding area.

Fortunato Depero’s stay is meticulously recounted in the manuscript Vassoio Siciliano (Sicilian Tray), but also three letters, autographed, addressed to his wife Rosetta remain from that brief moment in his life.
From these documents, the artist’s initial disorientation emerges, providing a fascinating insight into daily life in Sicily and all the fascination that the Sicilian language exerts on him.

Interestingly, despite the short stay, the link between Sicily and Depero is strong.
In fact, his famous ‘Depero Futurista’, considered the first ‘Futurist book’ became part of the precious collection of Palermo baron Pietro Sgadari di Lo Monaco (1906-1957), acquired in 1981 by the Central Library of the Sicilian Region.
The book was published in 1927 by Depero’s friend, Fedele Dinamo Azari, and is a programmatic manifesto of the artist’s concept of total art, which involves every aspect of life. In fact, the book reproduces not only painting and sculpture, but also his tapestries, waistcoats, toys, advertising posters, cushions, architecture and more, made between 1913 and 1927.
The book’s uniqueness lies not only in its content, but also in its binding, which is entrusted to bolts and transforms the book into a game, which can be disassembled and reassembled at will and which is reminiscent of the robotic toys created by the artist and conserved at the Casa d’arte Futurista Depero.

Mostra dedicata a Depero In Sicilia

EXHIBITIONS AND BOOKS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DEPERO

• DEPERO MITO PRESENTE is the exhibition promoted and organised by Riso. Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Palermo, in collaboration with the MART in Rovereto.
  The exhibition explores the relevance of Depero and his influence on art, fashion and design from the 1970s to today.

DEPERO Mito Presente
edited by Nicoletta Boschiero
general coordination Maddalena De Luca
4 October 2022 | 15 January 2023

The exhibition, hosted at Palazzo Riso (Palermo) from 4 October 2022 to 15 January 2023, is an extraordinary opportunity to retrace the career of the artist from Rovereto.
A small but valuable appendix on Depero’s trip to Sicily in 1926, as a guest of his friend Guglielmo Jannelli.

• Depero new Depero is a book dedicated to the versatility of Depero’s works and his influence on much of 20th and 21st century creative activity. From advertising to comics, from design to cinema, no aspect of contemporary life can claim not to share at least one aspect of Depero’s art.
  Depero new Depero is available on Amazon.
  

• Depero with Campari. Catalogue of the exhibition (Sesto San Giovanni, 18 March – 18 June 2010) held to celebrate the centenary of Futurism (1909-2009), of which Fortunato Depero was one of the most vibrant protagonists. However, given the important artistic association between Depero and Campari (from 1926 to 1936) the exhibition, and this catalogue, was a preview of the celebrations for Campari’s 150th birthday (1860-2010).
  Depero con Campari is available on Mondadori Store.