Born as a literary movement in 1909, the first modern art movement to emerge in Italy exalted machines, modernity, speed and violence.
"We affirm that the magnificence of the world has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed," wrote the poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876-1944) in the Futuristic Manifesto which he published in the French newspaper Le Figaro in 1909. The goals of futurism were to break with the past, thus destroying Italian traditions, and to create a new art embodying technology, mechanization, strength and energy. Wanting to move away from what they considered to be a historical burden, the artists involved undertook to destroy museums and art galleries in order to liberate their country from the past. They organized their first exhibition in Milan in 1911, followed by other European cities. Choosing themes of everyday life, they projected movement and speed, often using photos with multiple exhibitions as a reference. Committed to promoting the advancement of society and freeing themselves from classical constraints, futurists included painters, sculptors, musicians, writers, architects and designers. Related to Cubism, his art shared several elements, such as faceted forms. However, cubism was generally static and generally discreet, while futurism was colourful and dynamic.

Under the direction of Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916), futuristic activity was concentrated in Milan. In 1911, Boccioni, Carlo Carrà (1881-1966) and Luigi Russolo (1885-1947) were in Paris with Gino Severini (1883-1966), who had settled there in 1906. Together, they invented a new artistic language, which gave rise to an art dedicated to "the expansion of objects in space" and to "states of mind."

MAIN ARTISTS: UMBERTO BOCCIONI • CARLO CARRÀ • LUIGI RUSSOLO • GINO SEVERINI • GIACOMO BALLA