Italian embassy celebrates Futurism with Depero

Depero Fortunato, "Women of the Tropics," 1945, oil on panel, Studio 53 Arte, Rovereto 

 

Depero Fortunato, "Harlem Mulatto," 1945, charcoal and white lead on cardboard, Studio 53 Arte, Rovereto

Some of the figures remind me of Guy Fawkes's mask and robots, precursors to today.

Rather scary, haunting creatures, lacking human depth.

It may be only the second exhibition of Futurist's Fortunato Depero's works in the United States (the first I found was in Miami in 2024), and what better place to show off an Italian artist than at Washington's Embassy of Italy, the country and place of the movement's birth?

Depero:  Graphic Art Between Italy & United States highlights Futurism, Italy’s early 20th-century avant-garde movement which focused on speed, modernity, and bold visual language, says Wikipedia (you know:  elements of the future!) 

Depero Fortunato, "Ballerina Meccanica (Mechanical Dancer)," 1916/26, collage on cardboard, Studio 53 Arte, Rovereto 

 Depero Fortunato, "Citrus," 1928 advertising poster, Archivio Depero, Rovereto. I can almost taste the drink, looking at the poster.

Depero Fortunato, "Bitter Campari, L'Aperitivo," 1928, advertising poster, Archivio Depero, Rovereto. Depero had a longstanding relationship with the Campari Company when he designed Campari Soda bottles. 

 Depero Fortunato, "Caffe' Cirio, 'Domus' Magazine Back Cover," 1936, Archivio Depero, Rovereto

At the opening of the Depero show at the Embassy of Italy, Sept. 9 2026/By Patricia Leslie 

Italian Ambassador  to the U.S., Marco Peronaci, welcomed visitors to the opening of the exhibition which is up through January 30, 2026:

 “Depero was also a bridge between Italy and the United States: this exhibition highlights the deep interweaving that has fueled mutual cross-pollination and cultural dialogue between our two countries in the last century and beyond."

Depero Fortunato, "L'Aperitivo. Bitter Campari," 1927, project for billboard, tempera on cardboard, private collection, Rovereto

Depero Fortunato, "Lettrice E Ricamatrice Automatiche (Automatic Reader and Embroiderer)," 1920-22, oil on canvas, private collection, Rovereto

Depero Fortunato, "Big Sale (Downtown Market)," 1929-1930, oil on canvas, private collection, Rovereto

Depero Fortunato, "Grammofono Gramophone," 1924, advertising project, pencil on paper,  Archivio Depero, Rovereto

Marco Peronaci, Italy's ambassador to the United States, welcomed guests to the Embassy of Italy and the opening of Depero:  Graphic Art Between Italy & United States Sept. 9, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

The Futurists painted, they sculpted, made ceramics, and created designs for every production realm; they are sometimes linked to art deco, surrealism, constructivism and Dada.  

Depero (1892-1960) was one of the founders of the development whose goal was to make the world a more "joyful place," says Wikipedia. 

Inspired by a trip to Florence in 1913 and an article about Futurism, Depero moved to Rome in 1914 and, while designing ballet costumes and stage sets, he co-wrote a Futurist manifesto in 1915  ("Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe") with fellow Futurist Giacomo Balla.

Depero founded the House of Futurist Art in his hometown in Rovereto in 1919 which specialized in making toys, tapestries and furniture. 

To try out his talents in the U.S., Depero moved to New York City in 1928 where the advent of the Great Depression (1929-1939) presented a hostile reception. 

Still, he found work as a costume designer and making covers for Vogue and the New Yorker, helping introduce Futurism to the American public.  He also worked for Macy's.  

The Italian Cultural Institute at the Embassy of Italy writes on its website that Depero thought New York City was the ultimate Futurist city, and the Chrysler Building shows his influence.

He returned home in 1930.

Futurism's links to fascism during World War II shunted its growth among the public.

His move back to New York City in 1947 found an even cooler reception for him than his first visit and he went back home again where he lived long enough to see one of his longtime dreams come true, the opening of his museum in  Rovereto, the year before he died. 

The museum is still open today.

The Depero exhibition may be visited at the Embassy by registering for guided tours organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington. (See below.) 

What:  Depero:  Graphic Art Between Italy & United States

When: Now through Jan. 30, 2026

Where: Embassy of Italy, 3000 Whitehaven Road, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

How much: No charge.  Tours of the exhibition are available by registering with the Italian Cultural Institute here, but hurry and sign up since few days and times remain for the show!

For more information: ph. 202-612-4400, email: washington.ambasciata@ester.it

A link to the full catalog in digital non-reproducible format may be found here.

The Cultural Affairs Office Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C.

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Tire art at the National Gallery of Art

Chakaia Booker (b. 1953), It's So Hard to Be Green, 2000, rubber tires and wood, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, April 2, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

Chakaia Booker at It's So Hard to Be Green and the opening of her Treading New Ground at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, April 2, 2025/By Patricia Leslie



Ask anyone in the art world about the sculptor who fashions art from old tires and they'll say her name immediately: Chakaia Booker (b. 1953) who is also a fantastic recycler!

In the Tower of the East Building at the National Gallery of Art, three of her creations are on view in an exhibition named appropriately enough,"Treading New Ground."  It's a "must-see," a wonder and a definite draw for environmentalists.

Detail of Acid Rain, 2001, by Chakaia Booker (b. 1953), rubber tires and wood, loaned by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, at Treading New Ground at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, April 2, 2025.  You can almost smell these /By Patricia Leslie

Detail of Acid Rain, 2001, by Chakaia Booker (b. 1953), rubber tires and wood, loaned by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, at Treading New Ground at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, April 2, 2025. This reminds me of handcuffs and the materials ICE uses on immigrants/By Patricia Leslie

Exhibitions made of recycled materials are always an inspiration to me, marveling at the many ways creators can fashion art from most any old thing, producing results for others to see and admire and set us thinking about ways we can do the same to reuse materials and help "save the Earth" and combat climate change at the same time.

Rather than winding up in landfills, tires, which Chakaia repurposes, have extended lifelines, like manufacturers who use them in "rain gardens, roadways, construction materials, and cement manufacturing" to name a few ways the National Gallery cites. 

If you are so inclined, many other uses can be found on the internet for remaking tires, like tire swings, rubber mulch for landscaping, mats, and playground surfaces. (Check here for more. Hmmm, all those Weather-Tech ads you see?  You think its products come from recycled tires? Weather-Tech should consider a commission for Ms. Booker who could become its brand artist.) 

At the opening of her Treading New Ground at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, April 2, 2025, Chakaia Booker's attire included her colorful headdress/By Patricia Leslie

Chakaia Booker's materials for her art works include pieces of old tires from trucks and cars which visitors to the exhibition are invited to touch. The label says 
"we may find beauty and inspiration in an ordinary tire" but I am still looking. At Treading New Ground, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. April 2, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

Walking through the streets of New York in the 1980s, Chakaia noticed abandoned and discarded tires and the spaces they occupied. She considered all the different ways they could be used, and voila!  An art medium was born! 

Her website says she also creates works from stainless steel  for interior and exterior public spaces.  She exhibits all over the world, including the 2000 Whitney Biennial and her works are found in about 50+ museums in the U.S. In 2005 she received a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Did you know that when tires hit the roadways, pollution in the form of tiny particulates containing neurotoxic and carcinogenic compounds that directly endanger the health of both humans and water wildlife are released in the air? So says the National Gallery of Art.

Rather than space ships, EVs, and Republicans, maybe Mr. Musk can wrap his head around making an alternative for our vehicles. Who's working on this?

"My intention is to translate materials into imagery that will stimulate people to consider themselves as a part of their environment, as one piece of a larger whole." Chakaia Booker

Kanitra Fletcher, associate curator of African American and Afro-Diasporic art, curated the exhibition with Claudia Watts, research assistant, both of the National Gallery of Art which organized the show.  Thank you very much, ladies!

What: Chakaia Booker: Treading New Ground

When: Through August 2, 2026, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. seven days a week. Closed on Christmas and New Year's days.

Where: The Tower at the East Building, National Gallery of Art, between 3rd and 4th on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington

How much: Admission is always free at the National Gallery of Art.

Metro stations for the National Gallery of Art:
Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives, or L'Enfant Plaza

For more information: (202) 737-4215

Accessibility information: (202) 842-6905


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Hurry! 'Mucha' is leaving the Phillips Sunday!

Mucha's studio in Paris, 1896

You may not recognize his name but you'll certainly recognize his art, world famous for decades like his continuing influence on graphic artists and designs of album covers, posters, books and much, much more, many in psychedelic fashion.

Alphonse Mucha, 1897, The Crowd at the Hotel de Ville, Paris, illustrated book. The people were celebrating the friendship between Russia and France and the visit to Paris of Tsar Nicholas II in 1896.  To commemorate the occasion, the nations jointly published a book with Mucha, the commissioned illustrator.

Alphonse Mucha, (Self-Portrait) Sketching in His Munich Apartment, c. 1886

Alphonse Mucha, Goethe and Schiller, 1897

Alphonse Mucha, Sarah Bernhardt: In Honor of Sarah Bernhardt/Her Admirers and Her Friends, 1896. The label copy notes that Mucha made this for an elaborate tribute to Ms. Bernhardt in Paris.

It's ethereal; it's classical.

A few of the musicians and their designer/artists copying and expanding his style include the Rolling Stones, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and Muddy Waters. 

Alphonse Mucha, Salon des Cent: Twentieth Exhibition, 1896, the exhibition organized by the art journal, La Plume.

Alphonse Mucha, Cover of Hearst's International (May 1922) Published by International Publications, New York 1922

I'm talking Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939; pronounced MOO-ka), Czechoslovakian artist whose 100 plus works the Phillips Collection presents in its outstanding exhibition, Timeless Mucha:  The Magic of Line , organized by themes by the Mucha Foundation and its Tomoko Sata with assistance from the Phillips' Renee Maurer.

Alphonse Mucha, Monaco • Monte-Carlo, 1897, This was commissioned by a railway line to promote "a 16-hour luxury train journey from Paris to Monte Carlo." 

Alphonse Mucha, The Moon and the Stars: Pole Star, 1902 

Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley Jefferson Airplane tour poster, Fillmore Auditorium, November 6, 1966 

During the Art Nouveau period (1890-1910) of which he is most associated,  Mucha lived in Paris where he shared a studio for a while with Paul Gauguin and drew posters of singer Sarah Bernhardt which catapulted him to immediate fame, which was already growing from magazine and book illustrations he drew.

Dean Torrence (Kittyhawk Graphics) Diana Ross And the Supremes Let the Sunshine In, 1969 Cardboard LP sleeve cover

Hapshash & the Coloured Coat—Michael English and Nigel Waymouth, Jimi Hendrix Experience tour poster, Fillmore Auditorium, June 20 –26, 1967 

For Ms. Bernhardt's association, Mucha happened to be "in the right place at the right time" when she searched for an artist over a Christmas break to make a poster for her play, Gismonda, which was enjoying an extended run. 

Mucha was one of the few working over the holidays, and he got the call.

And the accolades, too, from his poster which is in the Phillips' show. (All art borrowed from the Mucha Foundation in Prague.) 

Mucha's work for Ms. Bernhardt continued far beyond Gismonda with designs he made for her theatre sets, costumes, jewelry and programs, many artifacts on display at the Phillips.

The Bernhardt magic touch extended to other retailers. Mucha made posters for trains, advertisements for cigarettes, food, bicycles, champagne, chocolate and many more products, attracting commissions to create beautiful young, idyllic women with flowing hair in long gowns, swirling amidst flowers and nature, his fame growing internationally, and yet he yearned for more.

In 1904 he visited the U.S. for the first time arriving in New York where his fame as Ms. Bernhardt's illustrator preceded him. In his four stays in the U.S., he made portraits, lectured, and taught at the New York School of Applied Design for Women, the Philadelphia School of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. The Brooklyn Museum hosted a popular exhibition of his work in 1921.

His desire to become a more serious artist, an artist of history, led him to honor his native Czechoslovakia and the Slavic peoples of Europe with 20 large paintings it took him 14 years to complete.

In 1928 he presented the series, The Slav Epic, to his native Czechoslovakia and which, less than 100 years later, has found a permanent home in Prague. (See it here in photos at Wikipedia.)

In 1939 Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia whose troops arrested Mucha and held him for questioning for several days, not long before he contracted pneumonia at almost age 79 and died the same year.

Although his art was not popular then, his son, Jiri, successfully worked to promote his father's art. Probably the greatest known collector of Mucha's art is tennis star and Czech-born Ivan Lendl who began his acquisitions after meeting Jiri in 1982. 

Through the closing Sunday at the Phillips, an expert will talk about Mucha and his art every day at 1 p.m. which is included in the admission price*.

Bloomberg Philanthropies presents free audio guides with an introduction by Mucha's great-grandson, Marcus Mucha, which may be accessed online.

A Mucha catalog is available at the Phillips' shop: hardcover, 240 pages, published 2025 by the Mucha Foundation, $60.

Other cities on the Mucha tour are Santa Fe, June 20 - Sept. 20, 2025; Boca Raton, Nov. 19 - Mar. 1, 2026; Kansas City, MO, Apr. 11 - Aug. 30, 2026; Mexico City, Mexico, Oct. 8- Feb.8, 2027.

The new Mucha Museum opened in February in the Savarin Palace in Prague.

What: Timeless Mucha:  The Magic of Line 

When: Through Sunday, May 18, 2025, 10 a. m. - 5 p.m. but on Sunday, the first hour is reserved for members only with the cafe and shop open to the public for that hour.

Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St., N.W. at Q St., Washington, D.C. 20009

*Admission: $20, adults; $15 for those over 62; $10, students and educators (with ID); free for members, military and their families beginning this weekend through Labor Day (the Phillips is a Blue Star museum), and for those 18 and under.   Pay what you wish daily from 4 - 5 p.m. Reservations, recommended. 

Metro Station: Dupont Circle (Q Street exit. Turn left and walk one block.)

For more information: 202-387-2151  


Patricialesli@gmail.com

Salute to Canada's impressionist, Helen McNicoll

Helen McNicoll, The Brown Hat, c. 1906. Art Gallery of Ontario. This is one of McNicoll’s earliest known paintings and displayed in 1906 at one of her first exhibitions. The austere background and mood suggest McNicoll may have painted it prior to 1906 when she was a student in London and Montreal, the label said.  Although it is not believed to be a self-portrait, it shows her style before she found “light.”

Helen McNicoll, Midsummer, c. 1909, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

Who was Helen McNicoll and why should we care?

Helen McNicoll, Study of a Child, c. 1913, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.  Although McNicoll never used the word "mother" in any of her titles, she often painted women as caregivers, working in and around the home. The label noted that McNicoll joined Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot describing the value of women's work, juxtaposed beside subjects chosen by male artists.

Not only was she Canadian (drawing more attention than usual because of the White House occupant's obsession with Canada), but she was a fine impressionist and featured artist in a show ending earlier this year at the National Museum of Fine Arts of Québec, Helen McNicoll An Impressionist Journey.

Helen McNicoll, Beneath the Trees, c. 1910, McNicoll Canadian Art Collection

Helen McNicoll, The Apple Gatherer, c. 1911, Art Gallery of Hamilton. When exhibited in 1911, the Montreal press praised this "delightfully sunshiny pictures of which Miss McNicoll is now an almost perfect master," blending impressionism and plein air naturalism.

Helen McNicoll, The Apple Gatherer (detail)

Helen McNicoll, Garden, 1913, Pierre Lassonde Collection

Helen McNicoll, Garden (detail), 1913, Pierre Lassonde Collection

Upon first glance her style immediately brings to mind that of Mary Cassatt with whom she shared many commonalities. 

The two artists often lived about the same time, McNicoll (1879-1915) and Cassatt (1844-1926). They spent part of their adult lives studying and painting abroad, in London (McNicoll) and France (Cassatt).

Helen McNicoll, Picking Flowers, c. 1912, Art Gallery of Ontario.  The label said this was likely made when McNicoll was traveling and based on a plein-air study.

Helen McNicoll, Fishing, c. 1907, private collection. McNicoll's companion, Dorothea Sharp, carried "pretty frocks" which fishermen's children loved to wear when modeling for the artist.  See below.

Helen McNicoll, The Children's Playground, 1912, private collection.

Helen McNicoll, Landscape, c. 1910, Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection

McNicoll and Cassatt both painted domestic scenes in soft colors with children and women the frequent subjects amidst pleasant almost idyllic backdrops.  

Neither married nor had children. They shared a close bond with female companions. Both came from wealthy families.  

At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, McNicoll was in France, soon forced home by her father. She died the next year in England. 

Helen McNicoll, Venice, 1910, Pierre Lassonde Collection

Helen McNicoll, The Open Door, c. 1913, Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection.

Helen McNicoll, The Gleaner, 1910, Pierre Lassonde Collection. Her face seems a bit rough for a woman as she almost sneers.  Unhappy in her work?

Helen McNicoll, Stubble Fields, c. 1912, National Gallery of Canada. Shortly after this was exhibited, it was purchased by the National Gallery which, the label noted, boosted the artist's confidence.

 

Helen McNicoll, This Gleaner was painted in 1908, again with a red, rough face, almost identical to the Gleaner above, painted two years later and in similar apparel. Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection

Helen McNicoll, The Chintz Sofa, 1913, Pierre Lassonde Collection. The woman may be Dorothea Sharp who shared this studio with McNicoll in London.  The label said the woman pictured may be sewing mementos for the women's suffrage campaign in England. This work in 2023 produced the highest price, $653,775, that I found for a McNicoll.

.

Helen McNicoll, The Victorian Dress, c. 1914, Art Canada Institute

Helen McNicoll, Evening Street Scene, c. 1910, Women's Art Association of Canada

Helen McNicoll,, The Avenue, 1912, Pierre Lassonde Collection. This reminds me of several of van Gogh's.

Helen McNicoll, Montreal Snowstorm, c. 1911, Pierre Lassonde Collection

Helen McNicoll, Fruit Vendor, 1910, Pierre Lassonde Collection. The label noted that most of the artist's markets were French scenes but this one was in Venice.  The girl wears a black shawl, then (and now) in vogue and shows three women in various roles.

Helen McNicoll, In the Market, Montreuil, 1912, private collection.

Helen McNicoll, The Market Cart, Brittany, 1910, Robert McLaughlin Gallery 

Helen McNicoll, The Market Cart, Brittany, 1910, Robert McLaughlin Gallery 

Unknown photographer, Helen McNicoll in her studio, c. 1906, Robert McLaughlin Gallery Archives

Helen McNicoll, Dorothea Sharp working with a child model, n.d., Robert McLaughlin Gallery Archives

 

McNicoll and Cassatt each suffered ill health, complications from diabetes leading to McNicoll's early death at age 35.  At age 2, she had scarlet fever which left her practically deaf and unable to communicate normally. 

And although she lived to age 82, Cassatt gave up painting at age 60 or 70 (sources vary) due to blindness.

In 2023 their art did meet in Cassatt — McNicoll: Impressionists Between Worlds at the Art Gallery of Ontario which has featured solo McNicoll exhibitions in the past.

I am sure there are other similarities which must be the subject of a dissertation or two. Here is a link is to a good article about the two artists in Art Herstory.

Searching Washington museums (the Phillips, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the National Gallery of Art), I found none with a McNicoll but they all have at least one Cassatt.  Yes:  Cassatt was American, but still... 

The highest price I found for a McNicoll was one she made likely of her companion, Dorothea Sharp, The Chintz Sofa (c.1912) which sold for $653,775 in 2023. Cassatt's high price was almost $7.4 million in 2022 for Young Lady in a Loge Gazing to Right.

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