Early Piero Fornasetti Newspaper Plate, Daily Express, Giornali (Newspapers)

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Fleet Street Surrealism: Fornasetti's 'Daily Express' Plate
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• Artist: Piero Fornasetti (1913–1988)
• Series: Giornali (Newspapers)
• Subject Date: … Read more Fleet Street Surrealism: Fornasetti's 'Daily Express' Plate
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• Artist: Piero Fornasetti (1913–1988)
• Series: Giornali (Newspapers)
• Subject Date: February 11, 1956
• Production Date: Late 1950s
• Material: Transfer-printed Porcelain

This is an iconic and witty ceramic plate designed by the Italian artist Piero Fornasetti (1913–1988). It is part of his celebrated Giornali (Newspapers) series, where he used satirical graphic reproductions to transform everyday tableware into social commentary.

The plate features a meticulous, surreal transfer-print of the front page of the British newspaper, the Daily Express, dated Saturday, February 11, 1956.

• Design Focus: The central print captures the Cold War-era mood and mid-century celebrity culture, including the dramatic main headline, "NOW, SHIVER AND SHAKE," reporting on extreme cold across Europe. A piece of lighter gossip is highlighted with the secondary headline: "Marilyn charming, says Vivien," referencing actress Vivien Leigh's impression of Marilyn Monroe.

• Aesthetic: The design is a classic example of Fornasetti's trompe-l'oeil, where a flat, ephemeral piece of media is given permanence and depth on a three-dimensional porcelain object. The circular format dramatically crops the original page, turning the headlines into abstract art.

• Mark: The reverse is marked with the stylized black rectangle containing the classic Fornasetti hand and brush logo, and the series name GIORNALI, set over a green underglaze mark.


• Dimensions: 10 1/4 inch diameter x 1/2 inch high.

Historical Context: Media, Mortality, and Modernism

The Giornali series is considered a perfect encapsulation of Fornasetti’s art, which often elevated the mundane to the realm of high design.

Ephemeral Made Eternal
By printing a transient, one-day-old newspaper on durable porcelain, Fornasetti freezes a specific moment in time. The plate serves as a clever memento mori, satirizing the rapid consumption and disposal of media. It captures the dual anxieties and fascinations of the 1950s: the serious geopolitical threats ("Siberia's weather just keeps swooping") alongside the burgeoning obsession with celebrity culture (Marilyn Monroe).

The Golden Age of Fornasetti
The late 1950s was a particularly fertile period for Piero Fornasetti, following his post-war establishment in Milan. His surrealist designs, often incorporating graphic elements, were highly popular with architects and interior designers, who embraced his maximalist, witty approach over the rigid modernism of the day. The newspaper motif remains one of his most sought-after and recognizable series, transforming the dining table into a gallery of forgotten history and pop culture snapshots.

References
• Fornasetti, Barnaba (Editor). Fornasetti: The Complete Universe. Milan: Rizzoli, 2010. (Definitive guide to the artist’s works, including the Giornali series).

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