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December 18, 2025

Leopoldo Metlicovitz: The Master of Italian Poster Art

Leopoldo Metlicovitz (1868–1944) was a preeminent Italian painter, illustrator, and stage designer, widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern Italian poster design. Born in Trieste, he moved to Milan and spent much of his career working for the renowned Ricordi printing house, where he eventually became the technical director.

Metlicovitz was a master of the Liberty style (the Italian version of Art Nouveau), known for his ability to blend grand, operatic theatricality with meticulous commercial detail. His most legendary works include iconic posters for Giuseppe Verdi’s operas and the hauntingly beautiful original promotion for Puccini’s Turandot.

Beyond the world of music, Metlicovitz created celebrated advertisements for the Mele department store in Naples and the timeless poster for the silent film epic Cabiria (1914). His legacy lies in his unique talent for elevating commercial advertising into a sophisticated art form, using vibrant colors and elegant compositions that captured the glamour and dynamism of early 20th-century Italy.

Distillerie Italiane, Sezione Apparecchi a Gas d'Alcool, 1899

Cerotto Mazza, circa 1900

E & A Mele & Ci. Napoli, Novità per Estate, circa 1900

E & A Mele & Ci., circa 1900

Sunlight Soap, 1900

Tosca, Musica di G. Puccini, 1900

Zolfi Poggi e Astengo Savona, Specialità Zolfo Extrafino Per le Viti, circa 1900

Buongiorno, Signorina!, 1901

Distillerie Italiane, "ALCOOLÈNE", Luce, Calore. 1902

Tantal, Die unempfindliche Metallfaden Lampe, 1903

Madama Butterfly, Musica di Giacomo Puccini, 1904

Cover of Musica e Musicisti, 1905

E. & A. Mele & Ci., Napoli, 1905

Mostra del ciclo e dell’automobile, 1905

Roma, IX Centenario della Badia greca di Grottaferrata, 1905

Inaugurazione del Sempione Esposizione Internazionale, Milano, 1906

Alla Spezia, varo della nave Roma, 1907

La Polvere di Pirlimpinpin, 1907

Scognamiglio Caramba, 1907

Ars et Labor, November 15, 1908

Il Grillo del Focolare, 1908

Superator Stufa a Gas d'Alcool, 1908

"Ichnusa", Società Anonima per l'Industria Mineraria, circa 1910

Acquario Municipale, 1910

Sogno d' un valzer, circa 1910

Il Ragno Azzurro di A. Randegger, 1912

"Victory or Death", Itala Film, 1913

Amore in Maschera, 1913

Bitter Pastore, Milano, 1913

Centenario Verdiano, Parma, 1913

"Superator" Stufa a Gas d'Alcool, 1914

Cabiria, Gabriele d'Annunzio, 1914

Calzaturificio di Varese, 1914

Teatro Greco di Siracusa, 1914

Cigarillos Paris son los mejores, 1917

Il Tabarro di G Puccini, circa 1918

Gianni Schicchi di G. Puccini, 1919

Suor Angelica di G. Puccini, circa 1919

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