The recent iteration of Nomad, an exceptional (and nomadic, as the name implies) appointment with contemporary art and collectible design, has just come to an end in St. Moritz. One of its protagonists was a small book that forms the center of a project.
The publication in question is the Almanac created by Piero Fornasetti in 1942 with 12 original drawings, one for each month, produced as a gift for friends. The title was Lunario del Sole because the sun is the protagonist of all the plates. A sun enclosed in a bottle, transformed into a pear, disheveled or masked; images that remind us of tarot cards, magical but also pervaded by a playful, lighter-than-air spirit.
In 2010 the 12 subjects were transformed into tapestries, made by hand in wool and silk. They are now joined by a 13th image, presented in a world debut together with the others, and made by starting with the cover of the Almanac.
The work stems from the collaboration between Barnaba Fornasetti, Piero’s son and artistic director of the atelier in Milan, and Giovanni Bonotto, the artist and promoter of A-Collection. It has been made with experimental materials, partially composed of recycled plastic, together with organic fibers: a synthesis of the art of textiles, the creativity of Fornasetti and contemporary technologies.
For the occasion a new edition of the Almanac has also been produced: next to the original introduction by Fabrizio Clerici, today there is a translation in English and a new preface by Riccardo Venturi, art historian and critic. Printed by hand by A14, the atelier of Daniela Lorenzi, with images painted by hand by Barnaba Fornasetti and Valeria Manzi, in a limited edition of 15 copies.
