Patrick Mauriès

An extensive illustrated survey of one of the most inventive design minds of the twentieth century. Combining whimsy and elegance, Piero Fornasetti transformed everyday objects like cups, scarves, and plates into much sought-after works of art with his idiosyncratic motifs, such as the hand, the female face, and luminescent fish. His dazzling pieces of trompe l’oeil furniture, created in collaboration with Gio Ponti, are also highly prized by collectors worldwide.
Fornasetti’s boundless imagination is celebrated here in a book published to document a major retrospective exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The first half of the monograph is organized by type and includes Fornasetti’s paintings, drawings, and furniture. The second half focuses on favorite themes: his use of trompe l’oeil, architectural drawings, and his variations on the face of a famous operatic beauty. Featuring 400 illustrations covering almost fifty years of a protean and prolific designer and artist like no other, this is a must-have for Fornasetti connoisseurs and anyone interested in design.… (altro)

The goal of this book (purportedly) is to be a sort of chronicle of fashion history, and it kind of is. La Croix uses his extensive knowledge and love of archival material to amass a unique collection that shows his perspective on the development of fashion. The book is organized into sections based on different patterns, styles, and inspirations that pairs La Croix's couture creations with a variety of other designers' pieces from various historical periods. La Croix's vision of fashion history may be more personal than objective, but this kind of account of what makes history so interesting.… (altro)