The Art of Celebrating Success: Diplomas in the History of Industrie Pirelli from the Late 19th Century to the 1930s
One of the many documents that reconstruct the history of Industrie Pirelli is a Diploma of Honour dated 1894. The first diploma of its kind, it was made out to “Signori Pirelli & C.” by the Esposizioni Riunite di Milano for “The bold and unique Italian initiative in the cables industry”. It was followed by a long series of awards and certificates obtained by the company for its participation in trade fairs and exhibitions, but also in sports races and competitions. Lithographic prints on fine paper, of various sizes, measuring up to 50 x 70 cm, the diplomas are often adorned with decorations or drawings, some of them signed. In the 1920s, a Liberty (Art Nouveau) and Art Deco style dominated, as can be seen in Diploma no. 1447, which was awarded for the company’s participation in the second Eritrean Trade Fair, in 1925. It is signed by Giulio Casanova, a Bolognese architect and artist specialised in ornamental decoration. The style also appears in the one signed by G. Valerio, issued to Dopolavoro Pirelli for its second place in the Donatello football cup, in 1928.
Several diplomas were created in the early 1930s by artists and illustrators who had taken up engraving by collaborating with L’Eroica magazine, which was founded in La Spezia in 1911. Publio Morbiducci designed diploma no. 1643, which was awarded at the Tripoli Trade Fair in 1930. Adalberto Migliorati created diploma of merit no. 1700, which was given to Alberto Pirelli at the Milan International Foundry Exhibition of 1931. And Francesco Fortunato Gamba put his name to the diploma dated 1932, which was handed to Società Italiana Pirelli as a founding member of the Casa di Redempzione Sociale of the Compagnia di San Paolo in Niguarda, Milan.
The diplomas certifying the company’s participation in the 1934 and 1935 trade fairs in Padua were created by the painter Antonio Menegazzo, known as Amen. An illustrator and poster designer from Padua, he devoted himself to painting in the post-war period before emigrating to South America and the United States, where he achieved fame as a painter who was much loved by American film stars. “Amen” was also the artist behind an advertisement for tyre paint made by Gumax, probably a company owned by Pirelli, as the enormous painted Stella Bianca tyre, now in the Salce Collection in Treviso, would appear to suggest. Among the names that often crop up in Pirelli advertising, there are also those of Manlio Parrini, who created the diplomas for the aeronautical show at the Fiera di Milano, and Armando Pomi, who put his name to the diploma that went to Dopolavoro Pirelli, which came sixth in the second category at the Torneo E. Massei, in 1931.
The names of two Belgian artists also appear prominently in the collection of diplomas: Antoine “Anto” Carte and Louis Buisseret designed two Grand Prix diplomas that were given out respectively at the 1930 Exposition Internationale in Antwerp and the Brussels International Exposition in 1935.
These precious documents testify to the company’s successes, and to its long-standing connections with the world of art and illustration.
One of the many documents that reconstruct the history of Industrie Pirelli is a Diploma of Honour dated 1894. The first diploma of its kind, it was made out to “Signori Pirelli & C.” by the Esposizioni Riunite di Milano for “The bold and unique Italian initiative in the cables industry”. It was followed by a long series of awards and certificates obtained by the company for its participation in trade fairs and exhibitions, but also in sports races and competitions. Lithographic prints on fine paper, of various sizes, measuring up to 50 x 70 cm, the diplomas are often adorned with decorations or drawings, some of them signed. In the 1920s, a Liberty (Art Nouveau) and Art Deco style dominated, as can be seen in Diploma no. 1447, which was awarded for the company’s participation in the second Eritrean Trade Fair, in 1925. It is signed by Giulio Casanova, a Bolognese architect and artist specialised in ornamental decoration. The style also appears in the one signed by G. Valerio, issued to Dopolavoro Pirelli for its second place in the Donatello football cup, in 1928.
Several diplomas were created in the early 1930s by artists and illustrators who had taken up engraving by collaborating with L’Eroica magazine, which was founded in La Spezia in 1911. Publio Morbiducci designed diploma no. 1643, which was awarded at the Tripoli Trade Fair in 1930. Adalberto Migliorati created diploma of merit no. 1700, which was given to Alberto Pirelli at the Milan International Foundry Exhibition of 1931. And Francesco Fortunato Gamba put his name to the diploma dated 1932, which was handed to Società Italiana Pirelli as a founding member of the Casa di Redempzione Sociale of the Compagnia di San Paolo in Niguarda, Milan.
The diplomas certifying the company’s participation in the 1934 and 1935 trade fairs in Padua were created by the painter Antonio Menegazzo, known as Amen. An illustrator and poster designer from Padua, he devoted himself to painting in the post-war period before emigrating to South America and the United States, where he achieved fame as a painter who was much loved by American film stars. “Amen” was also the artist behind an advertisement for tyre paint made by Gumax, probably a company owned by Pirelli, as the enormous painted Stella Bianca tyre, now in the Salce Collection in Treviso, would appear to suggest. Among the names that often crop up in Pirelli advertising, there are also those of Manlio Parrini, who created the diplomas for the aeronautical show at the Fiera di Milano, and Armando Pomi, who put his name to the diploma that went to Dopolavoro Pirelli, which came sixth in the second category at the Torneo E. Massei, in 1931.
The names of two Belgian artists also appear prominently in the collection of diplomas: Antoine “Anto” Carte and Louis Buisseret designed two Grand Prix diplomas that were given out respectively at the 1930 Exposition Internationale in Antwerp and the Brussels International Exposition in 1935.
These precious documents testify to the company’s successes, and to its long-standing connections with the world of art and illustration.
