MARCELLO DUDOVICH (1878-1962) ALITALIA. Circa 1948.

39x27 1/2 inches. Arte Grafiche, Milan.
Condition A-: overpainting in margins.
It is always impressive to see a poster artist who can do brilliant graphic work over a span of fifty years, while managing to evolve with the trends of the times. Dudovich is famous for his amazing series at the beginning of the 20th century, for the fashion store Mele, followed by those for La Rinascente. He also did posters for many other clients, as he was the leading Italian poster artist of the first half of the 20th century. This poster for Alitalia is one of his last creations: An arrow with the Italian flag and below it three airplanes in green, red and white, the colors of the national flag. If you consider the dynamic typography, this becomes one of the best posters ever designed for Alitalia.
ref: Marcello Dudovich, by Roberto Curci, Edizioni Lint, 1976, reproduced no. 386, ill.195.