Giovanni Gianotti (1873-1928) Italian Decorator, Designer

Giovanni Battista Gianotti (1873-1928) was an Italian painter, decorator, and designer who specialised in the liberty and art deco styles.

Biography

After receiving his degree from Turin’s Accademia Albertina, he founded his own artistic decoration business (“Officine d’arte”), operating between Milan and Buenos Aires. He frequently collaborated with his younger brother, Francesco, an architect who lived and worked in Argentina. Additionally, he established a studio in Brussels, completing some of his production there as well. He frequently visited Ostend, West Flanders, which he captured in a number of his watercolours and pen drawings. He also created a number of illustrated postcards of the city. Together with the cabinetmaker Ettore Zaccari, he designed stained glass windows, mosaics, furniture, frames, and ceramics for the Sala del Consiglio in the Castello Estense in Ferrara. He displayed his work at the Villa Reale in Monza’s first Biennial of Decorative Arts. In 1928, he perished at sea while sailing from Italy to Argentina. His fashion sense has occasionally been contrasted with that of French fashion icon Alban Chambon.

Sources

Furniture books – Amazon

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