Fortunato Depero, Padiglione Del Libro, III Biennale di Monza (Italy), 1927

Fortunato Depero was born in the province of Trento in 1892 and is defined as a painter, sculptor, ambientator, graphic artist and Italian parolibero writer. The publishers Treves and Bestetti-Tumminelli asked him for the preparation of the bookstore. He made a public outdoor pavilion consisting the letters of the names of the publishers. “The gigantic letters forms the facades and the roof block, and the doors, the windows and the ceiling and even the furniture are inspired by the letters of the alphabet.” (Depero, 1940) With this, the function of the building becomes clear in the exterior. This futuristic touch of the pavilion, that everything is simultaneously an object to show and subject, shows a denial of the purely technical nature. The walls and ceilings are simply furnished and reveal an elementary approach to the architectural space. The interior is a continuous development of the exterior, the institution can grow to infinity: the letters are in fact functional for every scale, from the door to the shelves, from the chairs to the walls; the potential growth is infinite.

References:

• Fortunato Depero, Padiglione del libro, III Biennale di Monza, 1927, Work completed for Laboratorio di Architettura degli Interni e Allestimento I, Prof. G. Ottolini and A. Giorgi, Politecnico di Milano, A.A. 2003-2004.
• N. Filippini, S. Fogliata, Fortunato Depero, Padiglione del libro, III Biennale di Monza, 1927, Work completed for Laboratorio di Architettura degli Interni e Allestimento I, Prof. G. Ottolini, Politecnico di Milano, A.A. 2003-2004.

Authors:

• Lauren Overlaet
• Farah De Schutter
• Iva Georgieva