Franco Grignani. Alterazioni Ottico Mentali 1929- 1999. Optico-Mental Alterations 1929-1999

FG's path through ltalian visual culture in the twentieth century was like the passage of a meteor. He transformed this culture without being transformed in the process.
H e began as a futurist an d end ed up "optical".
Between these two extremes is the creation of one of the most famous of ali marks, worldwide - the Woolmark. The year was 1963. ltaly was experiencing a period of economie boom.
Grignani's work as a graphic artist was centrai to the world, just as Milan was centrai to the system of production both in ltaly and Europe.
Grignani's work as a painter was known about, but the art system failed to provide the recognition which he deserved. The community of graphic designers, however, praised him internationally. The struggle against the old bogus distinction between visual and applied arts would provide a stimulus for him in his research, which lasted until his death in Milan in 1999, when the great challenge of sociallyoriented design work also carne to an end.
His work remains with us. lt represents the crystallised part of a greater project and an attempt to provide a demonstration of human perception and its alterations.