Made in Italy

Art and design, modern industry and handcraft—these were the ingredients brought together by MITA, an Italian firm specializing in rugs, tapestries, and other textiles. Founded in Genoa as the Manifattura Italiana Tappeti Artistici (Italian Artistic Rug Manufacturer) in 1926 by Mario Alberto Ponis, MITA earned its reputation by collaborating with some of Italy’s most talented artists and designers to create rugs inspired by modernist aesthetic trends while employing up-todate production techniques. After the Second World War, MITA expanded production to include tapestries and fabrics with both abstract and figurative patterns—striking designs that secured lucrative commissions, decorated ocean liners, and were showcased in international exhibitions.

The book features illustrations of rugs, tapestries, scarves, and printed fabrics, as well as original design drawings, by designers like Gio Ponti, Fortunato Depero, Arturo Martini, Emanuele Luzzati, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Gio Pomodoro, and Ettore Sottsass, Jr., revealing a characteristically Italian approach to industry and design.

The book is published on the occasion of the exhibition Made in Italy: MITA Textile Design 1926–1976 at The Wolfsonian–Florida International University, Miami Beach, Florida.