Depero, Fortunato (1892–1960)

Fortunato Depero was an artist, illustrator, and stage designer who played a central role in developing the art of modern typography. Affiliated with the Italian futurist movement, he was motivated by deep frustration with artistic traditions. He was perhaps the most persistent artist of futurism, with his work embodying many of the movement’s primary inclinations throughout his career. In typography, futurism broke the conventions of the printed page by using asymmetrical layouts, multiple colors and new typefaces. Depero pushed futurism beyond avant-garde circles and into the commercial sphere by applying typographic dynamism to advertising. His typographic expression was represented conceptually in his book Depero Futurista (1927), in advertising by his covers for Vogue magazine (1929–1930), and by an iconic poster entitled Subway (1929).