RENATA BONFANTI: THE TEXTILE DESIGNER WHO UNITED SKY AND EARTH

Text by Brenda Vaiani

The story of Renata Bonfanti (1929-2018), who distinguished herself as the first Italian textile artist to elevate the rug into a design object, begins during the post-war reconstruction era in Italy. During this time, weaving was not recognised as an artistic profession. Bonfanti navigated a landscape where looms spun out exquisite lampas and brocades. Still, unlike these fabrics, rugs were detached from both the figurative aspect and this specific type of design process. The rugs that were prevalent were regional artisanal creations, aesthetically repetitive and small in size. For the less affluent classes, imported goods from France or the East were commonplace. This presented an evident void and a wide-open canvas for the creative potential to be unleashed.


Image: Renata Bonfanti, Kilim 3 (from the Bengala series), 1982 linen, wool and meraklon 226 x 182 cm / 89 x 71.5 in. © Greg Carideo. Image above: Renata Bonfanti, Riflessi (from the Algeria series), 1995 linen and wool. © Greg Carideo. 

Renata Bonfanti chose an unconventional path for her time by dedicating her work to rugs. Her father, Francesco Bonfanti, a proto-rationalist architect from the textile city of Valdagno, backed this ambition, ensuring that Renata's dream did not remain unrealised. On the contrary, it would be crowned in 1961 with the Compasso d'Oro, a significant award given by the Industrial Design Association to recognise and enhance the quality of Italian design..................................................

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