Garretto

Paolo (1903-1989). Commercial artist and designer, born in Naples. His family moved north when he was still quite young and he spent almost all his life between Paris and London and between New York and Italy. Paolo Garretto, wrote Giordano Bruno Guerri, “is by now a historic character, because the role he played in the graphic arts and the history of Italy (and not just Italy) from the period after World War I up to today was itself historic….He gave the graphic arts and design a totally new and revolutionary imprint, which was rooted directly in Futurism.” His career went from Becco Giallo, an anti-Fascist satiric paper of the 1920s to L’Espresso, for which he illustrated several covers. His relationship with fashion was essentially based on work he did with the major magazines of the time, including Vogue and Vanity Fair. But right after World War II fashion became of more pressing interest to him when he founded and edited Rivista and Per voi signore (‘Review’ and ‘For You, Ladies’). This was for the great illustrator an opportunity to deeply explore the world of fashion and female beauty, which he reinvented with his essential and revelatory sketches, showing the female readers of the day some possible models for a lifestyle and clothing style suitable for an Italy which was standing on its feet again.