Armando Testa. Cucù-Tetè

One of the most iconic advertisers of the 20th century: Armando Testa and his creative philosophy

Armando Testa (1917-1992) was the greatest Italian advertiser of the 20th century, a true pioneer in transforming advertising into art and popular language. Founder of the famous agency that bears his name, he was able to combine graphics, irony and visual inventiveness in a unique way, making the messages of the most popular brands memorable.

From the legendary Carmencita and her lover Caballero for Lavazza coffee, to the extravagant Papalla from space, to the unmistakable Punto e Mes. Testa created a collective imagination that still lives on in the memory of generations of Italians. And how can we forget the hippopotamus Pippo created for Lines, or the geometric simplicity of his logos and posters? 

With just a few strokes, Testa was able to describe a whole world, transforming commercial communication into visual poetry.

Creative, visionary, artist and communicator, Armando Testa made advertising a language of the contemporary soul; a colourful theatre where imagination and everyday life meet forever.

The catalogue accompanying the exhibition was conceived to bring together the writings of his greatest aficionados and friends in an retrospective that covers the artist's career.