Fornasetti Lust
If you've ever seen a Fornasetti image, you’ll never forget his style. Piero Fonasetti's inventive use of graphics, architectural details and period touches transformed the most basic items to iconic objects of desire. Fornasetti spent his life in Milan, Italy and created over 11,000 items and graphic images, many of them featuring the face of an opera singer of the day, Lina Cavalieri.
His Julia plate features a woman's sensuous visage imposed on clock face. It is part of the ultra luxe Rosenthal China collection which collectors can buy new or used. Fornasetti’s clever collection of neckties (and perfect Father's Day gift) range from mathematical images to celestial ones, each one an exciting design play on what is often simply a boring fabric noose.
Even Fornasetti’s website is a visual delight. You must pluck a skeleton key and maneuver it in a keyhole to enter his world. To learn more about the artist, there are lots of Fornasetti research results on Become (blatant plug!) but my favorite is an article in a hip magazine called designboom.
My own deep desire is to sleep in Fornasetti's bed. My husband's fine with that as long as he can come along! Actually, Fornasetti's son is keeping the dream alive by renting out rooms in Piero Fornasetti’s elegant guest apartment in Milan for vacationers seeking total Fornasetti immersion. The New York Times wrote about it last year in a travel article.
Any family members or friends reading this post should also note that any Fornasetti item would make a lovely birthday or other gift! There is also an illustrated book about Fornasetti called Fornasetti:Designer of Dreams featuring many of his whimsical, amusing, fantastic and haunting designs. The only problem is the book is out of print. I've put in a request on alibris, which specializes in hard to secure books to let me know when one turns up.