MARCELLO NIZZOLI

Whilst Marcello Nizzoli is best known as the product designer responsible for some of Olivetti’s most celebrated machines, he considered himself first and foremost an artist. As a young man he studied art at Scuola die Belle Arti in Parma, where his interest in Cubism and Futurism was born. Cubism, an artistic movement popularized by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, marked a revolutionary break from Renaissance-era realism and religious themes. Cubist paintings were fragmented, geometric and abstract – or as Picasso put it - ‘A head, is a matter of eyes, nose, mouth, which can be distributed in any way you like’.

Closer to home, Nizzoli was heavily influenced by Italian Futurism - particularly the work of Fortunato Depero – which borrowed the detached forms and reactionary spirit of Cubism, yet differed in its subject matter. Italian Futurism aspired to break all links with the past and instead praise the power of modernity - depicting the glory of automobiles, steamships, tanks and machines. There was, however, a dark side to Italian Futurism. The movement was fundamentally intwined with the glorification of war, nationalism, and technology - framing conflict as a powerful, purifying force essential to progress. Broadly, the movement embraced a fervent, aggressive patriotism that advocated for Italy to assert its power through violence.

It was at this time, in 1913, that Marcello Nizzoli graduated University – and began his work as a professional painter. Italian Futurism was in vogue, and as his exhibitions garnered widespread critical acclaim in Milan. Yet within months of his personal success Germany had begun its expansion across Europe – and war was formally declared in August of 1914. Italian men were to be conscripted – and Marcello Nizzoli was forced to grapple with the knowledge that the very art movement he ascribed to – one that celebrated the destructive power of modern warfare – may lead to his untimely death.

And whilst many of Marcello’s peers were to die, Nizzoli survived by twist of fate. On the eve of his deployment, Marcello Nizzoli’s father suddenly died. The Nizzoli family owned a successful steelworks factory in Cornigliano which fabricated ammunition, vehicles, and tanks for the Italian Army - and thus Nizzoli was excused from compulsory service. Returning to run the business for the duration of the war, he was still determined to exercise his artistic talents. It was at this time that Nizzoli designed advertising illustrations for war effort. His graphic designs gained notoriety, and soon Nizzoli was asked to illustrate posters for famous Italian companies Campari, Martini and Maga.

Like many futurist artists of the period, Nizzoli also designed commercial posters for the emerging fascist government Fasci Italiani di Combattimento. It is difficult to determine whether Nizzoli was himself supportive of Mussolini’s regime – or if his artwork was simply bound by the political confines of the time. In any case, in the post war period Nizzoli distanced himself from futurism - and began work in interior and furniture design. It was during this time that the Italian Rationalism design movement emerged. Rationalism was a synthesis of tradition – employing the classical architectural features of Ancient Rome – and modernism – in its use of scale, geometry and modern materials. Rationalism was both a major fascist propaganda tool that sought to impose strength and power, yet at the same time was a genuine search for a new artistic identity.

Despite Rationalism being the official art of the Fascist state, its use by Marcello Nizzoli was patently subversive. In 1930 he collaborated with Luciano Baldessari and Guiseppe Terrangi to build the iconic Craja coffee bar in Milan. The bar was intended as a laboratory of revolutionary ideas – akin to the Café de Foy – at great risk to the patrons under the totalitarian regime. Aesthetically, it was unlike any other café in the city. There was no wooden panelling, gilded stuccos, mirrors and comfortable armchairs - instead it was angular, made from sheet aluminium and completely lacking in adornment. The café can be understood as a Rationalist rebellion and was a meeting place for architects, poets, artists, and writers who resisted the regime.

It was in this café in 1938 that Marcello Nizzoli met the person who had the most influence over his career – the manufacturer Adriano Olivetti. Nizzoli worked first for Olivetti as a consultant, and was soon after promoted to designer. His first project, MC 4S Summa, was a sleek desktop calculator created in the Olivetti planning and research office. Unlike other models of the time, deep consideration was given to technical, ergonomic and aesthetic aspects of the product. As at Olivetti, aesthetics were given the same weight as the technical aspects of a design. It paid off and from here Marcello Nizzoli created some of the most celebrated designs to come from Olivetti – including the Lexikon 80 (1945) the Divisumma 14 (1946) and the Leterra 22 (1952). He went on to design numerous architectural projects for Olivetti, before illness caused his early retirement and death. Today, the legacy of Marcello Nizzoli is one of widespread artistic merit, industrial design influence and the difficulties of existing in the grey area between alignment and resistance.