Futurism & Europe. The aesthetics of a new world

In 1915, Italian artist Giacomo Balla, helped by his young apprentice Fortunato Depero, wrote Ricostruzione Futurista dell'Universo (Futuristic Reconstruction of the Universe). According to this manifesto, the innovations developed in the traditional arts – painting and sculpture – should be used to transform everyday life into a futuristic universe: an ‘opera d’arte totale’, a total work of art.

The idea of the pursuit of a ‘continuum’ of art and life, that clothes, furniture, or toys could just as well be art, opens up an entirely new path for the European avant-garde – perhaps the most fruitful of the 20th century. For futurists, entering the scene of the international avant-garde is a way of broadening their horizons and refining their ideas.

The first exploration of the multifaceted relationships between futurism and the other European avant-garde movements in their search for a new aesthetic will feature in an exhibition at the Kröller-Müller Museum from 29 April to 3 September 2023.

The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated publication with the same title. The composition of both the exhibition and publication is in the hands of Prof Dr Fabio Benzi, professor at the Università degli Studi 'G. d'Annunzio', Chieti-Pescara. 

The exhibition and book are the first to explore and show the major influence of futurism on the main avant-garde movements in Europe during the interwar period: Bauhaus in Germany, L’Esprit Nouveau in France, Russian constructivism, and De Stijl in the Netherlands. The book includes contributions from 17 international authors, specialists from scientific institutions, and universities worldwide.

Hardcover | Dutch & English | 384 pages | 2023

Compiled by: Fabio Benzi & Renske Cohen Tervaert

Publisher: Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo | Tijdsbeeld, Gent