May 19, 2022 - Sale 2605

Sale 2605 - Lot 166

Unsold
Estimate: $ 10,000 - $ 15,000

MARCELLO NIZZOLI (1887-1969)

MOTOSACOCHE. 1927.


50 1/2x35 1/2 inches, 128 1/4x90 1/4 cm. "Maga," Geneva.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and restoration at edges; small replaced loss at right edge.

Nizzoli, who was an architect by training and considered one of the first Italian industrial designers (working for Olivetti), began his advertising career with the Maga agency in 1924. He was a bold artist with a strong sense of composition. In 1921, Dudovich and Nizzoli (along with Martinati) were appointed artistic directors of IGAP (Impresa Generale Affissioni Pubblicità). In this primary colored composition, "a 346cc Motosacoche 304 Tourisme motorcycle takes to the lemon-yellow sky, freed from the shackles of gravity, taking chunks of the mountain with it as it rises to new heights" (Crouse p. 60). Motosacoche grew to be the largest Swiss motorcycle manufacturer in the early 20th century, but its popularity steadily declined after the 1930s, finally ceasing motorcycle production in 1958. Crouse p. 60.