Piero Fornasetti

Italian, 1913-1988

The Italian artist and designer Piero Fornasetti was one of the wittiest and most imaginative talents of the 20th century. He crafted an inimitable decorative style from a personal vocabulary of images that included birds, butterflies, hot-air balloons, architecture and — most frequently, and in some 500 variations — an enigmatic woman’s face based on that of Cavalieri. Fornasetti used transfer prints of these images, rendered in the style of engravings, to decorate an endless variety of furnishings and housewares that ranged from chairs, tables and decorative objects to dinner plates, table lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often Surrealist and always fun.

Fornasetti was born in Milan, the son of an accountant, and he lived his entire life in the city. He showed artistic talent as a child and enrolled at Milan’s Brera Academy of Fine Art in 1930, but was expelled after two years for consistently failing to follow his professors’ orders.

A group of Fornasetti's hand-painted silk scarves, displayed in the 1933 Triennale di Milano, caught the eye of the architect and designer Gio Ponti, who, in the 1940s, became the artist's collaborator and patron. Beginning in the early 1950s, they created a striking series of desks, bureaus and secretaries that pair Ponti’s signature angular forms with Fornasetti’s decorative motifs — lighthearted arrangements of flowers and birds on some pieces, austere architectural imagery on others. The two worked together on numerous commissions for interiors, though their greatest project has been lost: the first-class lounges and restaurants of the luxury ocean liner Andrea Doria, which sank in 1956.

Fornasetti furnishings occupy an unusual and compelling niche in the decorative arts: they are odd yet pack a serious punch. They act, essentially, as functional sculpture. A large Fornasetti piece such as a cabinet or a desk can change the character of an entire room; his smaller works have the aesthetic power of a vase of flowers, providing a bright and alluring decorative note. The chimerical, fish-nor-fowl nature of Fornasetti’s work may be its greatest strength. It stands on its own. Bringing the Fornasetti look into the future is Barnaba Fornasetti, who took the reins of the company after his father's death.

Find vintage Piero Fornasetti dinner plates, chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price

$1,568

Styles

Materials

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Vintage Fornasetti Sun Motif Vide-Poche in Black, White & Gold, Italy, c. 1960s

$525

H 1.38 in Dm 5 in

Vintage Fornasetti Sun Motif Vide-Poche in Black, White & Gold, Italy, c. 1960s

By Piero Fornasetti

Located in Minneapolis, MN

A striking vintage Italian ceramic vide-poche by Fornasetti, featuring a finely detailed sun face in black and white framed by a lustrous gold interior. Alternating straight and undu...

Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Porcelain

Piero Fornasetti 'Kisses' Table Lamp, Mid-Century Design, 1990s

$890

H 13.38 in W 5.9 in D 5.51 in

Piero Fornasetti 'Kisses' Table Lamp, Mid-Century Design, 1990s

By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti

Located in Milano, IT

A striking example of Italian Mid-Century inspired surrealism, this rare "Kisses" table lamp was designed by the iconic Piero Fornasetti and produced by Antonangeli Illuminazione in ...

Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Plastic

1990s Gorgeous "Commedia dell'Arte" table Lamp by Piero Fornasetti for Antonange

$590

H 13.38 in W 5.11 in D 6.29 in L 13.38 in

1990s Gorgeous "Commedia dell'Arte" table Lamp by Piero Fornasetti for Antonange

By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti

Located in Milano, IT

This exceptional "La Commedia dell'Arte" table lamp represents a prestigious collaboration between the Piero Fornasetti and the avant-garde Milanese lighting house Antonangeli Illumi...

Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Plastic

1990s Rare "Aquarium" Floor Lamp by Piero Fornasetti for Antonangeli

$1,980

H 47.2 in Dm 10.6 in L 47.2 in

1990s Rare "Aquarium" Floor Lamp by Piero Fornasetti for Antonangeli

By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti

Located in Milano, IT

1990s Gorgeous "Aquarium" Floor Lamp by Piero Fornasetti for Antonangeli in polypropylene. The lamp features a continuous, brilliantly silk-screened polypropylene shade adorned with ...

Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Plastic

Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Plate Tema e Variazioni No. 224, Lina Cavalieri

$735

H 1 in Dm 10 in

Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Plate Tema e Variazioni No. 224, Lina Cavalieri

By Piero Fornasetti

Located in Downingtown, PA

Piero Fornasetti Porcelain Plate, Tema e Variazioni No. 224, Lina Cavalieri 1980s This Piero Fornasetti porcelain plate from the Tema e Variazioni series presents the face of the Italian opera singer Lina Cavalieri fragmented and repeated across the well in a dense field of overlapping crescents, so that only the eyes and brows of each impression remain visible. The lithographic transfer is printed in black and gray on a white ground, and the scale-like repetition reads at a distance as an abstract pattern before resolving into dozens of watching eyes. Numbered 224 in the series, it is among the more unusual and graphically inventive of the Tema e Variazioni designs, and it demonstrates the Surrealist wit and optical play that defined Fornasetti’s approach to the decorative arts. Dimensions Diameter: 10 inches (25.4 cm) Height: 1 inch (2.5 cm) Marks Printed to the reverse with the Fornasetti eye...

Category

1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Porcelain

Piero Fornasetti, Rare Trompe L’Oeil “Libri” Folding Screen, Italy, 1999

$16,000

H 53.5 in W 47 in D 10 in

Piero Fornasetti, Rare Trompe L’Oeil “Libri” Folding Screen, Italy, 1999

By Piero Fornasetti

Located in Stamford, CT

Piero Fornasetti, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Rare Trompe L’Oeil “Libri” Four-Panel Folding Screen or Room Divider, Italy, 1999 A highly decorative four-panel folding screen by Pier...

Category

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Brass

1993 Fornasetti Portfolio 6 Surrealist Black/Gold Prints France

$900Sale Price / set|25% Off

H 14 in W 11 in D 0.25 in

1993 Fornasetti Portfolio 6 Surrealist Black/Gold Prints France

By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti

Located in Miami, FL

The complete portfolio from the series Sole e Lune containing 6 Fine Art Silkscreen by Piero Fornasetti published in France by Graphique de France in 1993. This portfolio was exclusively created for Pier One...

Category

1990s French Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Paper

FORNASETTI Vintage Table Lamp

$2,750

H 16.93 in Dm 3.94 in

FORNASETTI Vintage Table Lamp

By Piero Fornasetti, Fornasetti

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Vintage Italian table lamp with painted metal decorated with cameos on red background (lithographical and transfer-printed) and brass / made in Milan Italy in the 1980s Original labe...

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Piero Fornasetti

Materials

Metal

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Piero Fornasetti Sale Prices

Sold Date

Sold Price

Category

Material

Creation Year

2026	$571	Platters and Serveware	Porcelain	1969
2026	$4,100	Umbrella Stands	Metal, Brass	1950s
2026	$2,430	Table Lamps	Metal, Enamel, Brass	20th Century
2026	$3,000	Pedestals, Side Tables	Brass, Wood	c 1970s
2026	$400	Paperweights	Porcelain	1962
2026	$1,572	Barware	Metal	1955-65
2026	$335	Porcelain, Dinner Plates	Porcelain	Mid-20th Century
2026	$3,970	Umbrella Stands	Metal, Brass	Mid-20th Century
2026	$1,040	Games	Wood, Walnut	1980s
2026	$481	Vases	Porcelain	1960-1969
2026	$1,940	Jars	Porcelain	1960-1969
2026	$600	Porcelain	Ceramic, Porcelain	1968-74
2026	$1,000	Dinner Plates	Porcelain	1960s-70
2026	$775	Porcelain	Ceramic, Porcelain	1968-74
2026	$600	Dinner Plates	Porcelain	1967-1974
2026	$600	Porcelain	Ceramic, Porcelain	1968-74
2026	$750	Dinner Plates	Porcelain	1960s
2026	$650	Porcelain	Ceramic, Porcelain	1968-74
2026	$795	Dinner Plates	Porcelain	1968-1974
2026	$975	Ceramics	Ceramic	1950s

$1,568

Average sold price of items in the past 12 months

$155-$6,704

Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

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Piero Fornasetti furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Piero Fornasetti furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Piero Fornasetti furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 391 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 1 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Piero Fornasetti were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Archimede Seguso, Flavio Poli, and Richard Ginori. Prices for Piero Fornasetti furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $120 and can go as high as $54,990, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,262.

Questions About Piero Fornasetti

What is Piero Fornasetti famous for?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMay 14, 2024
Piero Fornasetti is famous for his work as a designer. The Italian artist was one of the wittiest and most imaginative talents of the 20th century. Fornasetti crafted an inimitable decorative style from a personal vocabulary of images that included birds, butterflies, hot-air balloons, architecture and — most frequently, and in some 500 variations — an enigmatic woman's face based on that of opera singer Lina Cavalieri. Fornasetti used transfer prints of these images, rendered in the style of engravings, to decorate an endless variety of furnishings and housewares that ranged from chairs, tables and decorative objects to dinner plates, table lamps and umbrella stands. His work is archly clever, often Surrealist and always fun. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of Piero Fornasetti pieces.
What style of art is Fornasetti?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertFebruary 27, 2024
The style of art by Fornasetti varied. His use of whimsical motifs has often led his artwork to be associated with Surrealism, while his use of repetitive imagery, like in his many prints featuring opera singer Lina Cavalieri, skewed toward Pop art. As a designer, his works reflected mid-century modern sensibilities with a playful twist. Explore a collection of Piero Fornasetti art and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Who is Piero Fornasetti?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
Piero Fornasetti was an Italian artist and designer born in Milan, Italy, in 1913. In 1950, he founded an atelier in the city, creating furniture and home decorations. Fornasetti died on October 9, 1988. His company, Fornasetti, continues to produce hand-decorated decor under the guidance of his son Barnaba Fornasetti. Find a collection of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.
Are Piero Fornasetti images public domain?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
Whether or not Piero Fornasetti images are in the public domain depends on the image. The artist produced more than 11,000 works during his lifetime. Only some no longer carry a copyright and are in the public domain. Shop a range of Fornasetti on 1stDibs.