Adolf Hohenstein (1854-1928)
Russian by birth, he studied art
in Vienna, where he produced his first paintings. After numerous
journeys (during which he stayed in India, where he decorated
the homes of the local nobility), he arrived in Italy in 1879.
He settled in Milan, the economic and industrial capital of the
newly formed Italian state, and began working as a set designer
and costumier at La Scala, with excellent results. This brought
him into contact with important composers. Soon, however, he
began working in the field of graphics, becoming coordinator of
editorial promotion for Ricordi. Giulio Ricordi appointed him as
art director, with a project that included the creation of
covers for libretti and musical scores, posters, playbills and
postcards. This was the context in which Hohenstein produced his
designs, including those for Iris, La Bohème, Falstaff, Tosca
and Madam Butterfly. Hohenstein was also responsible for the
macabre deathbed sketches of Verdi drawn at various hours. He
worked for Ricordi for about fifteen years. His cultured and
refined style was never strongly influenced by the trends of the
period: art nouveau, for example, makes an appearance only in a
few decorative elements.
