Gerardo Dottori's Futurist Frescoes Rediscovered in Perugia

A cycle of rare frescoes by Gerardo Dottori, a leading figure of Secondo Futurismo, has been rediscovered in Perugia after decades hidden under overpaint. The murals, executed in 1947, were commissioned by Mario Spagnoli for the Piazzetta degli artigiani within the Spagnoli textile factory, the precursor to the fashion brand Luisa Spagnoli. The discovery was made by art historian Francesca Duranti, vice president of the Archivi Dottori, who had long suspected Dottori's involvement at the site based on archived images of his works depicting the factory and Angora rabbits. Nicoletta Spagnoli, fourth-generation family member and company head since 1986, promoted the recovery and restoration. The fresco cycle begins under the portico with a Madonna and Child enthroned with two angels, followed by murals for each workshop: Saint Lucy for the blacksmith, the sawmill, carpenter, cabinetmaker, painter, tinsmith, doctor, library, and pediatrician. The compositions employ Dottori's characteristic pointillist technique, with Futurist accents such as the symbolic explosion of the tinsmith's gas cylinder. The frescoes are remarkably well-preserved.