"If I live by what I thought yesterday, I will begin to fear those who copy me. Fortunato Depero
Almost twenty years after the opening of the Mart in Rovereto, a major exhibition is dedicated to Fortunato Depero, examining the modernity of his experiments and the influence of his research in the fields of art, fashion, design, and comics from the 1970s to today. Around 500 works are on display, including drawings, furniture, objects, posters, photographs, books and magazines, about ten videos and films from the last twenty years, comics and design objects, as well as the famous advertising designs for Campari.
Born in 1892 in Trentino, Depero left the city of Rovereto at his death in 1960 the only museum of Italian Futurism and his personal archive, which includes about 3,000 objects, including a large part of his artistic work and an extensive library. This invaluable legacy reconstructs the figure of a versatile artist who experimented on various fronts and in different fields: from painting to complex car models, from graphics to theater, from poetry to communication, from opera to publishing projects. A creative artist in search of total art, firmly convinced that there is no hierarchy between one language and another.
Over the years, Mart has continued Depero's ideas and transformed his legacy into a lasting heritage. Dozens of works and numerous archives have been acquired, invested in restorations (the most recent include the famous tapestries usually exhibited in the Casa Depero) and in reconstructions of costumes, furniture, objects, and stage sets such as the famous "I Balli Plastici" and "Le chant du rossignol." "Depero New Depero" offers an insight into this history for the first time.
The scenographic exhibition curated by Studio Baldessari e Baldessari is divided into five sections: "Reconstructions," with numerous reissues of Depero's unusual creations for the theater; "Depero Effect," where the great names of Italian design appear, openly inspired by the artist from Trentino; "America," where Depero's story and work are told through recent audiovisual productions; "Museum" with documents and publications from the 20th-century archives; "Conservation/Education," showcasing projects that Mart has carried out over the years in restoration and cultural mediation.
The exhibition is open from October 21, 2021, to July 5, 2022. https://www.mart.tn.it
