exhibition > Depero: From Rovereto to New York

 This exhibition follows the creative journey of Futurist artist Fortunato Depero, from his native Rovereto to the vibrant modernity of New York.
Advertising works—often bold collages—are presented alongside sketches, preparatory drawings, and paintings. Seen together, they reveal how Depero developed ideas across different media. Rather than abandoning concepts, he returned to them, transforming and adapting them over time.
In 1919 Depero founded the Casa d’Arte Futurista in Rovereto. The workshop produced tapestries, furniture, decorative objects, and advertising graphics. More than a studio, it was conceived as a laboratory for a new modern environment—one in which art could move beyond the canvas and enter everyday life.
Advertising soon became one of Depero’s most inventive fields. He treated typography as image, giving letters movement and personality. Products were transformed into playful characters, while bold diagonals and vibrant colors brought energy and rhythm to the page. Through these innovations, Depero helped redefine the visual language of modern graphic design.
In 1928 Depero moved to New York, becoming the only Futurist to experience the American metropolis firsthand. There he collaborated with magazines and advertising agencies, encountering a city he described as a vast luminous billboard.
When Depero returned to Italy in 1930, he continued to explore the expressive power of visual communication—convinced that the art of the future would also be the art of advertising.

Presented by Italian Cultural Institute Los Angeles
Under the auspices of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation / Embassy of Italy in Washington DC / Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles / America250)
Curated by Maurizio Scudiero — Director, Archivio Depero, Rovereto
Exhibition Design and Graphics Etaoin Shrdlu Studio
Organization Davide Sandrini — StArt Ltd, Italy
In collaboration with Archivio Depero, Rovereto
Acknowledgments Studio 53 Arte, Rovereto; LeoGalleries, Monza. The heirs Di Cristina, Stefano Andreis, Elisabetta Franchi, Giorgio Giovannelli, Paolo Pedri, PierLuigi Giuliani and Corrado Berti based in Rovereto, Lorenzo Maggini in Milan and Giorgio Candido in Udine.
Special thanks to  Daniela Porta, Roberto and Daniela Pizzini
Copyright Archivio Depero

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