BRUNO MUNARI [Opere 1930 – 1986]
Marco Meneguzzo, Tiziana Quirico [Editors],
Bruno Munari [Designer]
Milan: Electa, 1986. First edition [Pagina series]. Text in Italian. Square quarto. Photographically printed French-folded wrappers. Printed slipcase. 107 pp. Fully illustrated with color and black and white reproductions. Bibliography. Book spine lightly worn and wrappers rubbed. A very good or better copy housed in a very good Publishers printed slipcase: slipcase rubbed and worn along edges. Rare in slipcase.
9.5 x 8.75 softcover book with 107 pages and fully illustrated with color and black and white reproductions of Munari’s extensive and varied creative output. Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name at the Palazzo Reale Milan from December 11, 1986 to March 1, 1987 conceived by Enrico Baj. Introductory essay by Marco Meneguzzo.
MUNARI is the fifth volume in the uniformly esteemed Pagina series, following Lo Studio BOGGERI 1933 – 1981 [1981], Max HUBER: Progetti Grafici 1936 – 1981 [1982], Hans NEUBURG: 50 Anni Di Grafica Costruttiva [1982], and CAMPO GRAFICO 1933 - 1939 [1983].
Bruno Munari (Milan, 1907 – 1998) was mentored by the Futurist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti starting at the age of 18. Munari first showcased his "Useless Machines" in 1932 -- a series of Dadaist ever-moving geometrical solids suspended in the air. In 1948, Munari, along with Atanasio Soldati, Gianno Monet and Gillo Dorfles formed the MAC Movement [Movimento Arte Concreta] "to develop abstract painting and sculpture with no links whatsoever to the outside world." During this time, Munari continued creating his Convex-Concave sculptures and experimented with color, space, movement, form and background in his Negative-Positive works. The Italian Design Industry's interest in Munari led him to create the Pigomma Company's toy monkey, the Danese melamine cube ashtray and numerous other industrial design and illustrative works. After a career of over seventy years, Munari gained the title of "founding father of Italian design." Picasso described him as "the new Leonardo.”
Munari, a self-taught man, became more than a graphic designer. He was an industrial designer, architect, writer, philosopher and educator. In the 20’s he became involved in the Futurist movement. He worked as a photographer and graphic designer for Pirelli, Cinzano, IBM and Olivetti. After WW2, he started to work as an industrial and interior designer. He challenged all conventions and stereo types, he pulled down barriers between architecture and design with his modest creativity and ingeniousness. Munari created experimental travel sculptures that could collapse and put into a suitcase, simple exquisite lamps, animated children’s books, unreadable books (Libri illegibili), useless machines and so many other beautiful artefacts. He wrote many books, and thanks to Edizione Corraini, many of those have been reprinted. He was awarded the Compasso ‘Oro, Milano in 1954, 1955 and 1979. His advice: “Take life as seriously as a game.”