From Italy to the U.S., Depero’s Bold Futurism Takes Center Stage
By • September 24, 2025 0 417
Art isn’t only for a visit to a museum. The self-guided exhibition “Depero. Graphics: Between Italy & United States” is at the Embassy of Italy in Washington until January 30, 2026. The exhibit displays works by the Italian painter and writer Fortunato Depero, and shows how much viewing art is part of daily life.
As background, Depero was born in Northern Italy in 1892 and would travel on to Rome where he joined with Italian Futurist artists. His lifetime saw the past being rapidly replaced with the future of modern machinery, like cars and airplanes, and the rise of nationalism (Fascism in Italy), noted by two World Wars and a world wide depression.
An early work from this period is an oil on canvas, “The Magician’s House,” which portrays artists in many tasks. Depero was himself a multi-talented artist, graphic designer, illustrator and visual communicator with a theatrical flair that pushed the boundaries of traditional art.
Depero was also the only Italian Futurist to spend time in the U.S. His first visit to New York City from 1928 to 1930, while not a commercial success, provided some treasured works. The colorful “Big Sale (Downtown Market)” and the muted tones of “New York. Savoy Ballroom” both capture the excitement that he felt about being in the city. He would not return to the United States until after WWII.
He was also poet who used words in his graphic posters as part of the design element. His work offers a way to view what a group of artists in the past envisioned for the future with robots and marionettes replacing marble statues.
These features are most evident in his advertising posters for magazine covers like The New York, Vanity Fair and Vogue, where his work was very much part of popular culture.
Through this vibrant selection of drawings, collages and printed material, the exhibition traces Depero’s evolution of visual expression in modern art with a variety of works. from the most notable like advertisements for Campari to “Little Red Riding Hood in the Woods,” a project for a book illustration in 1930 and “Women of the Tropics,” a 1945 oil on panel.
Someone has noted that Italy in the 20th century was most noted for fashion and food. Perhaps what is most notable about the exhibit to me, is afterwards as I look at an Italian designer dress or handbag, a magazine cover or a poster, or the way food and drink are served, is that I think this too is art.
That is the enduring gift of this artist in this exhibit which connects these works, the past, with the future.
For information and to visit to the exhibit, click here.
Embassy of Italy – 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Registration and photo ID are required.
Please note: Reservations are accepted exclusively through Eventbrite.com.
All registered guests must provide their full legal name for accurate event records. Duplicate or incomplete registrations will be rejected.
