THE HOME Where minimalism requires discipline and a love affair with hidden storage, maximalism requires the art of balance. Extravagant wallpaper, clashing colours and countless objets d’art from different periods can’t be thrown together and be expected to find their own space, except with the help of a sharp eye and skilled hand to direct them. Enter Piero Fornasetti. An early 20th century painter, sculptor, interior decorator and printer, this Italian Renaissance man was by all accounts ahead of his time. Most reknown for his ‘Tema e Variazioni’ or ‘Themes and Variations’, he famously created thousands of objects using almost 500 alliterations based on a single portrait of a woman. He was captivated by the classical beauty of 19th century operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri, her visage became a repeating symbol in his work, despite them having never met. Decorating everything from porcelain plates to silk scarves, he described the application of his pop art muse as “… something more than decoration, it was an invitation to the imagination, to think, to escape from those things around us that are too mechanised and inhuman. They were tickets to travel through the realm of imagination.” Nevertheless, the beautiful mien of Cavalieri should not outshine Fornasetti’s creative genius or his far-reaching influence. Born in Milan in 1913 to a bourgeois family, the young Fornasetti defied both his father’s plans for him and his rigid art school education to become one of the most original creative talents of his era. Heavily influenced by Greek and Roman architectural forms, much of his work included illustrations in black and white and featured leitmotifs such as Corinthian columns and fantastical trompe l’oeil. Always suffused with surrealist wit and a sense of the absurd, his nonconformist designs are widely sought after by collectors and remain lauded by postmodern designers. He paired up with architect and industrial designer Gio Ponti in the 50s; the combination of Ponti’s eye for construction and Fornasetti’s eccentric flair for the decorative saw the duo rewriting the rules of visual arts. Together they designed magazine covers and collaborated on numerous projects including the interiors of Italy’s Palazzo Del Bo, Casa Lucano, Casino Sanremo and the transatlantic liner, the Andrea Doria. Tragically, the luxury cruise ship sank off the coast of Massachusetts a mere three years after it was launched. <strong>As</strong> is the case with design and the ficklemindedness of fashion, interest in his work has waxed and waned with prevailing attitudes. Rediscovered in the late 80s and 90s era of excess, the resurging interest in maximalism is likely to put his work and that of the House of Fornasetti front and centre. Seen as a response to the culture of austerity, Fast Company went so far as to declare: “Minimalism is dead. Hello, Maximalism” as early as 2017. While Piero Fornasetti’s original works can be purchased at auctions and auction sites, his son Barnaba drives Piero’s legacy through the company that bears his family name. Under Barnaba’s artistic direction, Fornasetti, working out of its atelier in Milan, is able to draw from Piero’s considerable design archive to revive popular pieces and, with a team of artisans, create new pieces, some of which have been collaborations with designers such as Philippe Starck and brands such as Comme des Garçons, Valentino, Kartel, Cole & Son and Ceramica Bardelli. TM | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER <strong>2018</strong> 44
THE HOME “Captivated by the classical beauty of 19th century operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri, her visage became a repeating symbol in his work, despite them having never met” 45 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER <strong>2018</strong> | TM
- Page 1 and 2: Vol. #120 September / October 2018
- Page 3 and 4: EDITOR’S NOTE Art is Life We are
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- Page 12 and 13: THE DIARY 7/9 - 15/9 PENANG ASIA PA
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- Page 16 and 17: THE SCENE The Scene The hottest eve
- Page 18: CULTURE | BOOKS MOVING PALETTES Fro
- Page 22 and 23: CASEY TEH Snooze Control Casey Teh,
- Page 24 and 25: CASEY TEH Get enough sleep, surroun
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- Page 28 and 29: CASEY TEH “Most of us complain th
- Page 30: THE HOME BRING THE HOTEL SLEEP EXPE
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- Page 37 and 38: THE HOME Crystal - Designed by Stef
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- Page 43 and 44: THE HOME PORADA This year marks Por
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- Page 54 and 55: PROPERTY NEWS | EVENTS MAJLIS HARI
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- Page 63 and 64: THE SWING FRED COUPLES SAM SNEAD 61
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THE COOKBOOK TOP TABLE What it's re
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THE COOKBOOK IMAGE BY CAMERA PRESS/
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THE DRINKS GREAT GRAPES The world
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THE GAME CHANGER The Art of Finding
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THE DRIVE | NEWS The BMW i Roadshow
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THE DRIVE Right on Track Malaysia-a
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THE DRIVE Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC
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