Marcello Dudovich 1878 - 1962

Marcello Dudovich is considered one of the fathers of poster design. Born in Trieste, his activity was international by vocation. Dudovich was a great communicator and an absolute innovator, marking one of the most important advances in the history of the poster. Examples are his works for Magazzini Mele, Borsalino, La Rinascente, Campari, Martini, Agfa, Pirelli and many others.

This volume seeks to explore the relationship between photography and poster design in this master’s works while retracing the fundamental stages of his artistic production. His creative process is reconstructed mainly through unpublished materials from archives and museums. After exploring Dudovich’s relationship with photography, one of his great passions, the book illustrates his posters alongside original sketches and wash drawings. Furthermore, it includes references to silent cinema and the divas of his days, whose charm especially fascinated him, and to his bond with his master Leopoldo Melicovitz. Some twenty photographs by the latter are presented here for the first time.