SEPO (SEVERO POZZATI, 1895-1983) TORTONESE. 1935. 52 1/4x35 1/4 inches, 137 3/4x89 1/2 cm. Gros Monti & Co, Torino. Condition B+: repaired tears at edges; creases and restoration at edges, in image and along horizontal fold; scratching and ink tax stamp in upper image. Framed. Having studied in Bologna, Sepo began his artistic career working for the publisher Maga in his native Italy. He moved to France in 1920 and was hired by the printer Vercasson. Ultimately, he moved on to the French office of the Dorland Advertising Agency where he worked with their major clients. Like Cappiello, he regularly received commissions from Italy; this poster was for a famous women's fashion store in Turin. The store was originally named in French, "La Merveilleuse," but the name was changed when the Fascist government banned all foreign businesses from Italian soil. Cappiello also designed a poster for La Merveilleuse. In 1934, when Sepo designed his first image for the store, now operating under the name of Tortonese, it featured an inventive, graceful ribbon in the shape of a woman. He superimposed his device over Cappiello's classical image of a woman, to let the public know that the store and the image were the same, even if the name had changed. Sepo continued to use this recognizable bolt-of-fabric figure, which became highly acclaimed by the public and used in subsequent posters for the store. In each poster, he displayed his splendid skill with airbrush and his genius with typography. Sepo 200.
