Diego Santambrogio - Cosulich Line Trieste - 1970s

An icon from the golden age of Italian transatlantic giants is lost. The celebrated advertising poster “Cosulich Line Trieste – North and South America Expresses,” printed in Trieste by the historic Arti Grafiche S.A. Modiano. This subject comes from the avant-garde pencil of designer Diego Santambrogio and won second prize in the iconic contest organized by Cosulich to celebrate the launch of the motor ship Saturnia, a jewel of naval shipbuilding of its era. The work is a triumph of Art Deco aesthetics with strong Futurist overtones. The imposing silhouette of the liner diagonally slices the space, tearing through the background with comet-like lines, wedges, and sharp geometries in warm tones of orange, ochre, and deep black. A superb visual play that immediately conveys the idea of progress, speed, and the luxury of transoceanic travel to the Americas. The bold lettering, typical of Italian graphic design of the 1920s, crowns a piece originally intended for the most exclusive travel agencies and first-class salons.

There are several small brownish spots scattered mainly in the area between the top inscription (“LINE TRIESTE”) and the hull of the ship. A slightly more evident and isolated brown stain can be seen on the left side, at the height of the transatlantic bow’s flag. These are physiological signs of paper aging (oxidation or past humidity) that do not affect the poster’s structural integrity nor the vividness of the main graphics, but they attest to the piece’s history from the 1970s.