Farfa il futurista: autograph dedication to Milena Milani in 1959 catalogue

When Farfa — pseudonym of Vittorio Osvaldo Tommasini — signed this catalogue for Milena Milani on 4 March 1964, only months remained before his death. The dedication, inscribed in pen with the energetic hand that characterised his epistolary production, reads: 'a Milena Milani che esprime sempre ciò che ha nel sentire' (to Milena Milani who always expresses what she has in feeling). This is no perfunctory homage: it is mutual recognition between two figures who, though belonging to different generations and movements, shared the same urgency for artistic renewal.

The catalogue documents the solo exhibition held at Galleria Blu in Milan in February 1959, one of the last significant exhibition moments for the Trieste-born poet-painter. The cover, with its characteristic organic red blotch on white ground and black Futurist lettering, visually encapsulates Farfa's aesthetic: a Futurism that by the 1950s had absorbed informal and abstract suggestions whilst maintaining intact the provocative charge of its origins.

Bibliographic notes

This is the first and only edition of the catalogue, published for the 1959 Milan exhibition. The format is typical of artist catalogues of the period: agile, compact in size, with reproductions of works and critical texts. Galleria Blu, active in Milan between the 1950s and 1960s, was an important space for disseminating avant-garde art in the Lombard capital, hosting exhibitions by Futurist, abstract and Spatialist artists.

The bibliographic rarity of the catalogue is attested by its absence from major international antiquarian databases and the sporadic nature of its market appearances. Copies dedicated by Farfa are rarer still: the artist, though active until his final years, was never a systematic dedicator, reserving his signatures for cultural figures with whom he maintained direct relationships.

Provenance & condition

The dedication to Milena Milani (Milan 1922 – Comabbio 2013) confers exceptional documentary value upon this copy. Writer, art critic and companion of Lucio Fontana from 1946 until the artist's death in 1968, Milani was a central figure in post-war Milanese artistic circles. Author of experimental novels and fundamental studies on Fontana, she was also a discerning collector and privileged interlocutor of the artists of her era.

The fact that Farfa dedicated this catalogue to her in March 1964 — five years after the exhibition — testifies to a consolidated relationship of esteem. The date is significant: Farfa would die on 13 November of the same year, making this one of his final autograph dedications. The chosen formula — 'who always expresses what she has in feeling' — recognises in Milani that same expressive authenticity the Futurist poet had always claimed for himself.

The condition of the copy appears good, consistent with a period catalogue preserved in a cultivated domestic environment. The cover maintains its original chromatic vivacity, an element not to be taken for granted in 1950s publications often subject to fading.

Market value

BookOracle's valuation places this copy in the €450-€750 range, with a high rarity index (72/100). The price reflects several concurrent factors: the catalogue's bibliographic rarity, the presence of the autograph dedication, the prestige of the dedicatee, and the documentary value for the history of late Futurism.

Catalogues of 1950s Futurist exhibitions, when lacking dedications or annotations, generally range between €150 and €300. The presence of an autograph dedication by Farfa can double or triple the value, depending on recipient and content. In this specific case, the fact that the dedication is addressed to Milena Milani — a leading figure in Milanese culture and direct link to Fontana and Spatialism — adds a significant premium.

The market for second-generation Futurists, whilst less speculative than that of the historical masters (Marinetti, Balla, Depero), has experienced renewed interest in recent years from collectors and institutions. Farfa in particular is the subject of critical revaluation for his role as bridge between historical Futurism and post-war neo-avant-gardes.

Why it matters

This dedicated catalogue represents more than a simple keepsake: it is a document illuminating the networks of cultural relations in 1960s Milan. The dialogue between Farfa and Milena Milani symbolises the encounter between two seasons of Italian avant-garde: Futurism, by then in twilight with the passing of its last protagonists, and Fontana's Spatialism, then at the height of its international affirmation.

The March 1964 dedication assumes, retrospectively, the character of a spiritual testament: Farfa recognises in Milani the heir to that same tension towards expressive authenticity that had animated Marinetti's movement. It is no accident that the chosen formula — 'always expresses what she has in feeling' — echoes the Futurist poetics of immediacy and emotional sincerity.

For the collector of Italian avant-gardes, this copy offers the opportunity to possess a documented point of contact between two seemingly distant but actually communicating artistic worlds. For the scholar, it is a precious tessera for reconstructing the map of cultural relations in post-war Milan, when the last Futurists and first Spatialists shared galleries, critics and, occasionally, aesthetic visions.

In a market increasingly attentive to provenance and documentary value, copies such as this — uniting bibliographic rarity, autography and historical-cultural significance — represent solid and intellectually rewarding investments.