The Wolfson Collection
italiano | english
Born in Savona in 1901, Filippo Romoli was one of the most significant Italian poster designers of the twentieth century. In the early years of the interwar period, after obtaining his technical diploma, he moved to Genoa, where he lived until his death in 1969. In 1926 Romoli was hired as an advertising painter by the Società Industrie Grafiche Barabino & Graeve (Barabino & Graeve Graphic Company) where for the most part he designed tourism posters and other related materials. Early on Romoli’s artistic practice was characterized by a stylistic and iconographic approach derived from the formal language of Art Deco; during the interwar period, he also developed significant connections with the Futurist movement as well as an interest in the “Novecento” style. In 1932 he began his artistic collaboration with the Società Lazzi-Gran Turismo, an important local bus company. He worked for the company until 1968, designing not only its advertising campaigns, but also the company’s logo, uniforms for drivers and hostesses, and the furnishings for its headquarters, opened in 1949 in the Piazza De Ferrari, Genoa. In 1936 Romoli began to work for S.A.I.G.A., a graphics firm that had taken over Barabino & Graeve. He worked for S.A.I.G.A. until the 1950s, continuing thereafter as an independent collaborator. In 1936 he also participated in the I National Poster’s and Advertising Graphics’ Exhibition in Rome. Romoli’s graphic design activity increased after World War II, creating work for such clients as: shipping companies Cosulich, Lauro nas Home Lines; tour operator CIT Viaggi; food companies Gaslini, Negroni and Galbani; the Association of Voluntary Italian Blood Donors (AVIS); and a number of regional tourist agencies. Throughout this period he received significant honours. The posters on display here belong to the rich and comprehensive collection that Filippo Romoli’s heirs generously loaned to the Wolfsoniana.
