the sun stars in fornasetti's hand-knotted tapestries at NOMAD st moritz

fornasetti brings the sun to nomad

‘nature has always been a great source of inspiration,’ barnaba fornasetti tells designboom at this year’s NOMAD st moritz. for the 9th edition of the traveling art & design fair, milanese atelier fornasetti presents a series of 12 hand-knotted tapestries named ‘twelve months and twelve suns’ as well as a previously unseen 13th tapestry made with recycled plastic waste and organic yarns in collaboration with giovanni bonotto of A-collection.

titled ‘il lunario del sole’, the exhibition is named after a 1942 almanac of the same name that featured original drawings by piero fornasetti. in 2010, piero’s son barnaba decided to transform the drawings from the almanac into 12 unique tapestries made from wool and silk. the works feature the sun as the protagonist—one sun for each month—and are imbued with fornasetti’s recognizably whimsical design language. the new 13th tapestry brings the sun, moon, and stars together to represent the cover of the original book. alongside the large tapestries, fornasetti also presents a contemporary and limited re-edition of the almanac that’s been hand-printed by A14 and features hand-painted tables by barnaba and valeria manzi.

as NOMAD media partner, designboom traveled to the art & design event in the swiss alps to speak in person with barnaba fornasetti and to see the exquisite tapestries up close. read the full interview with barnaba below.

fornasetti ‘lunario del sole’ at NOMAD st. moritz 2022

on the left, hung on the wall, tapestries from the series ‘dodici mesi dodici soli’. on the right, hung on the wall, ‘lunario del sole’ tapestry, fruit of the collaboration between fornasetti and a collection. in the foreground, ‘libri’ double curved table made with glass, wood and briar silk-screened and lacquered by hand. on the floor, the ‘erbario’ rug, hand-tufted, new zealand wool and delicate silk. on the side, armchairs ‘leopardo’.

image by mattia parodi

IN CONVERSATION WITH barnaba fornasetti

designboom (DB): your exhibition here at NOMAD st moritz takes its name—il lunario del sole—from a 1942 almanac with drawings by piero fornasetti. why did you first decide to turn the drawings into 12 tapestries and bring them to a new audience?

barnaba fornasetti (BF): in order to reinterpret them in the form of objects and to enhance the dialogue between creativity and high quality manufacturing. they were made in 2010.

fornasetti ‘lunario del sole’ at NOMAD st. moritz 2022

‘lunario del sole’ tapestry, one-off piece made with yarns composed of recycled plastic (60%) and organic material (40%), conceived by barnaba fornasetti and giovanni bonotto. on the right, hung on the wall, the plates from the series ‘dodici mesi dodici soli’ made with porcelain silk-screened and painted by hand.

image by mattia parodi

DB: was it challenging to translate the drawings into hand-knotted tapestries?

BF: I’m always curious to see the effect of the transposition of a décor on a different medium. in this case, from the paper to the yarn, I have to say that the final result is amazing because this material has given a new character and look to these suns.

barnaba fornasetti at NOMAD st. moritz 2022

image © designboom

DB: you are also presenting a new work here at NOMAD, a 13th tapestry inspired by the cover of the original book. can you tell us a bit about the tapestry and the collaboration with giovanni bonotto?

BF: yes, the fornasetti design of the cover of the almanac ‘lunario del sole’ has been reinterpreted through the yarns of A-collection. these fabrics are obtained from recycled plastics and organic cottons, through a process with a high technological value. the collaboration with giovanni bonotto started last year, on the occasion of doppia firma 2021. our stories are incredibly similar: we are both in favor of slow design, quality that comes before everything else and a world where creativity and dreaming is a philosophy to live and work by.

fornasetti ‘lunario del sole’ at NOMAD st. moritz 2022

the new edition of the almanac known as lunario del sole, produced in a limited edition of fifteen copies. hand-printed by A14, daniela lorenzi’s atelier, with hand-painted figures by barnaba fornasetti and valeria manzi.

image by mattia parodi

DB: even in 2022, with all the distractions that are available to us, there is still an enduring fascination with the sun, the moon, and the stars. do you share this fascination?

BF: the sun, the moon and the stars, they are all part of nature and I cannot resist its charm. for fornasetti, nature has always been a great source of inspiration.

fornasetti ‘lunario del sole’ at NOMAD st. moritz 2022

‘ottobre’ and ‘settembre’ tapestries from the series ‘dodici mesi e dodici soli’, hand-knotted wool and silk.

image by mattia parodi

DB: and finally, it’s the 9th edition of NOMAD—what’s different about this art & design fair?

BF: more than a fair, NOMAD is a beautiful project containing special projects. it’s like an art exhibition. I appreciate this and also its unique atmosphere.

‘marzo’ and ‘febbraio’ tapestries from the series ‘dodici mesi dodici soli’.

image © designboom

‘marzo’ tapestry from the series ‘dodici mesi dodici soli’, one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

‘giugno’ tapestry from the series ‘dodici mesi dodici soli’, one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

‘novembre’ tapestry from the series ‘dodici mesi dodici soli’, one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

‘dicembre’ tapestry from the series ‘dodici mesi dodici soli’, one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

‘il lunario del sole’ tapestry, one-off piece, 2022. yarns composed of recycled plastic (60%) and organic material (40%). full mechanical jacquard weaving technique. 260 x 180 cm.

1/12

'gennaio' tapestry from the series 'dodici mesi dodici soli', one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

'febbraio' tapestry from the series 'dodici mesi dodici soli', one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

'aprile' tapestry from the series 'dodici mesi dodici soli', one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

'maggio' tapestry from the series 'dodici mesi dodici soli', one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

'luglio' tapestry from the series 'dodici mesi dodici soli', one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

'agosto' tapestry from the series 'dodici mesi dodici soli', one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

'settembre' tapestry from the series 'dodici mesi dodici soli', one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

'ottobre' tapestry from the series 'dodici mesi dodici soli', one-off piece, 2010. hand-knotted wool and silk. 91 x 152 cm.

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

project info:

exhibition name: il lunario del sole

presented by: fornasetti

venue: NOMAD st moritz, chesa planta, samedan, switzerland

dates: march 1st – 6th, 2022

NOMAD is a traveling fair of collectible design and contemporary art conceived by giorgio pace and nicolas bellavance-lecompte. the nomadic showcase debuted in 2017 and the initiative has since completed eight editions in st. moritz, monaco, venice, and a virtual edition in cannes. NOMAD brings leading international galleries to extraordinary architectural locations, offering a more intimate experience than large-scale fairs.