Celestino Piatti
Encyclopedia
Celestino Piatti was a Swiss graphic artist, painter and book designer. He was a popular illustrator of children's books and achieved international success as a designer for Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag (DTV).
, the son of a Ticino
stonemason and a Zurich farmer's daughter. He grew up in Dietlikon, near Zürich. Between 1938 and 1942 he trained in the Gebrüder Fretz studio, and took evening classes with Ernst und Max Gubler at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Zurich
(today the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste
), and then qualified as a graphic teacher. Between 1945 and the end of 1948 he worked in the studio of Fritz Bühle in Basel. From 1948 he had his own graphic design studio. In 1966 he settled in Duggingen
near Basel
, where he lived until his death.
His first international success came as a designer of posters. He designed more than five hundred, many of which won prizes. In 1964 his work was included in the graphic design section of documenta III
in Kassel.
In 1961 Piatti became the designer for the newly-founded Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag (DTV) of Munich. As well as their cover designs, Piatti was responsible for the company's typography
, signets, letterhead
s, advertisements and posters, giving the DTV catalogue a uniform identity which combined the International Typographic Style
with quirky illustration. His distinctive covers used the sans-serif Akzidenz-Grotesk typeface in black against a white background.. From 1961, beginning with Heinrich Böll's Irisches Tagebuch, to 1991, he designed almost all of DTV's publications, a total of more than 6,300 titles.
In 1987, the DTV produced a retrospective book about Piatti, entitled Celestino Piatti, Meister des graphischen Sinnbilds.
In addition to posters and books, his works also included stamps for the Swiss post office, (including a set marking the hundredth anniversary of the Gotthardbahn
) lithographs, woodcuts and linocuts, stained glass, murals and other paintings, ceramics and sculptures.
A motif that runs through his entire work, is the owl
, as a messenger of good luck or misfortune, or as a symbol of wisdom. In 1992 Piatti told a magazine: "You can draw an owl a thousand times, and never find out its secret".
In 1971 Piatti was commissioned by the American Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE) to design a 39" x 45" poster to promote the closed circuit viewing at the State Armoury in Harlem of the March 8 Muhammad Ali
vs. Joe Frazier
fight at Madison Square Garden
. It features Ali's face as a boxing glove with eyes at the center and globe in a mouth.
Life
Piatti was born in Wangen-BrüttisellenWangen-Brüttisellen
Wangen-Brüttisellen is a municipality in the district of Uster in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, located in the Glatt Valley .-Geography:...
, the son of a Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
stonemason and a Zurich farmer's daughter. He grew up in Dietlikon, near Zürich. Between 1938 and 1942 he trained in the Gebrüder Fretz studio, and took evening classes with Ernst und Max Gubler at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
(today the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste
Zurich University of Applied Sciences
The Zurich University of Applied Sciences , located in the city of Winterthur, with facilities in Zurich and Wädenswil, is the second largest University in Switzerland after the University of Zurich.* University of Zurich: around 25000 Students...
), and then qualified as a graphic teacher. Between 1945 and the end of 1948 he worked in the studio of Fritz Bühle in Basel. From 1948 he had his own graphic design studio. In 1966 he settled in Duggingen
Duggingen
Duggingen is a municipality in the district of Laufen in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland.-Geography:Duggingen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 29.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 57.4% is forested...
near Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, where he lived until his death.
His first international success came as a designer of posters. He designed more than five hundred, many of which won prizes. In 1964 his work was included in the graphic design section of documenta III
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
in Kassel.
In 1961 Piatti became the designer for the newly-founded Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag (DTV) of Munich. As well as their cover designs, Piatti was responsible for the company's typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
, signets, letterhead
Letterhead
A letterhead is the heading at the top of a sheet of letter paper . That heading usually consists of a name and an address, and a logo or corporate design, and sometimes a background pattern...
s, advertisements and posters, giving the DTV catalogue a uniform identity which combined the International Typographic Style
International Typographic Style
The International Typographic Style, also known as the Swiss Style, is a graphic design style developed in Switzerland in the 1950s that emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity. Hallmarks of the style are asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces like Akzidenz Grotesk, and...
with quirky illustration. His distinctive covers used the sans-serif Akzidenz-Grotesk typeface in black against a white background.. From 1961, beginning with Heinrich Böll's Irisches Tagebuch, to 1991, he designed almost all of DTV's publications, a total of more than 6,300 titles.
In 1987, the DTV produced a retrospective book about Piatti, entitled Celestino Piatti, Meister des graphischen Sinnbilds.
In addition to posters and books, his works also included stamps for the Swiss post office, (including a set marking the hundredth anniversary of the Gotthardbahn
Gotthardbahn
Gotthardbahn was the name of a private Swiss railway company which operated the railway line from Immensee to Chiasso . Nowadays this term usually does not refer to that company, but to the railway line itself...
) lithographs, woodcuts and linocuts, stained glass, murals and other paintings, ceramics and sculptures.
A motif that runs through his entire work, is the owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
, as a messenger of good luck or misfortune, or as a symbol of wisdom. In 1992 Piatti told a magazine: "You can draw an owl a thousand times, and never find out its secret".
Books by Piatti
- The Happy Owls (1963)
- Celestino Piatti's Animal ABC. (1965)
- Celestino Piatti's Animals (1966)
- Animal ABC (1966)
- Piatti: The Nock Family Circus (1968)
- The Holy Night: The Story of the First Christmas (1968)
- The Golden Apple (1970)
- The Little Crayfish (1974)
- Barbara and the Door Mouse (1976)
Posters
30 of Piatti's 500 posters were awarded "Best Swiss poster of the Year".In 1971 Piatti was commissioned by the American Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
(CORE) to design a 39" x 45" poster to promote the closed circuit viewing at the State Armoury in Harlem of the March 8 Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
vs. Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
fight at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. It features Ali's face as a boxing glove with eyes at the center and globe in a mouth.