Milano: Città d’Arte

Well, we spent a lot of time on this one. It’s surprisingly deceptive as it shows three views of Milan in one shot. Speaking deceptive, when we finally gave up on figuring out who made it via old-fashioned methods (i.e. fanatical googling), we asked ChatGPT to solve the problem, pointing out the design credit “Ventura” and that the logo was designed by Pino Tovaglia. ChatGPT assured us that the poster was designed by Ermanno “Erm” Ventura (1924–2017). Apparently Ventura and Tovaglia collaborated on projects tied to corporate identity, publishing, and public institutions in the 1960s–70s. They weren’t a formal studio partnership, but they were contemporaries who exhibited together, contributed to the same design culture, and were both connected to AGI (Alliance Graphique Internationale), where Italy was strongly represented. It even prepared a side-by-side comparison of Tovaglia and Ventura. The only problem is that Ermanno Ventura never existed. (And that’s not a photo of Pino Tovaglia. It looks like poet Philip Larkin.) However, this poster is real. We swear.