ISSIMO loves Bruno Munari…can’t you tell! If our words of admiration for the multifaceted genius over the years don’t say it all, then our line-up of ISSIMO x Munari goodies certainly does!
This week Museo ISSIMO presents The Best of Bruno Munari, a round-up of some of the trailblazer’s most ground-breaking, captivating and utterly genius works and philosophies that redefined the global art, design and cultural landscapes.
There are many important lessons about individuality, creativity and life in general that we continue to learn from the artist, architect, author and inventor, whose name endures as one of the most influential in Italian and international design. Munari reminds us that an ‘artist’ can be many things – a painter, a designer, a performer, a writer, an innovator – and his freedom of expression and experimentation embodied an ‘all-round’ creative spirit that continues to inspire us today.
Bring your imagination, your sense of curiosity, and yes, Il gesto (hand gestures) are more than welcome here too!
Useless Machines
Associated with Italy’s Second-generation Futurist movement, Munari’s art and design works demonstrated unconventional and experimental aesthetics from early on. In the 1930s he started creating his first Useless Machines, a series of exploratory ‘non-functional’ objects that would evolve throughout his career. These abstract hanging mobiles were created from a range of materials including cardboard, glass, paper and string, symbolising a radical departure from painting and sculpture. They represented Munari’s explorations into the role and ‘functionality’ of art and how an object is perceived by different viewers.
Munari’s Lesson #1
-Experimentation means authenticity
Creative experimentation can lead to unexpected brilliance! Thinking out of the box, pushing conventional boundaries and exploring the path less travelled will ultimately enrich the world with ideas and creations that are truly authentic, as observed in Munari’s life and work.
Designs for Danese Milano (1950s)
Throughout the 50s Munari designed the iconic Cubo Ashtray and Canarie Desk Set for progressive Milanese design brand Danese Milano, with whom he shared many design philosophies including a focus on ‘the communicative power of objects’. Another example of Munari’s signature ability to effortlessly fuse art, design and architecture in one object, the Cubo Ashtray is composed of a cube shell and an angled metal sheet that overlaps to cleverly conceal the object’s internal contents.
Munari’s Lesson #2
- Keep it simple
Design doesn’t need to be complicated to be beautiful, intriguing, or effective. In fact, simplicity is often the most powerful thing, and the most difficult thing to achieve. We believe this also applies to life!
Supplement to the Italian Dictionary
(Supplemento al dizionario italiano, 1958)
We’ve discussed Munari’s genius compendium of Italian hand gestures many times, and yet, we still find something new to love about it.
A coffee-table staple in living rooms all over the world, this book is a testament to Munari’s universal genius as a visual communicator, and one of his best-known works. He not only presents ‘the art of Il gesto’ with clarity and humour, but he also evokes a sense of social and cultural connection by inviting us to consider how we use these gestures in our daily lives as a means of communication and self-expression.
Munari’s Lesson #3
- Don’t be afraid to express yourself!
Being human means experiencing all kinds of emotions, and it’s important to express them! Gestures allow us to show the world our authentic personality, and they also help us to understand each other and our respective traits, quirks and charms. Did we mention you can also wear Munari’s gestures around town on your own ISSIMO T-shirt? Eccellente!
Munari’s words of wisdom
In his texts, Munari asked some big questions about our relationship to the world around us, as experienced through beauty, art and beyond. For example, Toccare la bellezza (a book he co-wrote with Italian educator, doctor and philosopher Maria Montessori) poses questions about how we would appreciate and engage with the world’s ‘beauty’ via sensory touch as opposed to the visual gaze. This book is one of several of Munari’s thought-provoking publications, along with his world-famous Design as Art (1966) which has become something of a sacred text and guide to exploring the parameters of modern design.
Munari’s Lesson #4
- Always be curious
Go through life with all your senses attuned to the world around you. Keep asking the big questions – how and why – and always maintain a sense of curiosity about your environment, especially the seemingly common, mundane or ‘everyday’ things.
