Born 1901 in Bari, Italian illustrator Gino Boccasile lost his left eye by having it struck by a splash of quicklime while he was drinking from a fountain early in his youth. Nonetheless, he showed a precocious aptitude for design and completed studies at the fine art school of his home town.
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| Posters designed by Gino Boccasile in the 1930s and ’40s |
Boccasile illustrated for the Italian periodicals “La Donna” (1932), “Dea” and “La Lettura” (1934), “Bertoldo” (1936), “Il Milione” (1938), “L’Illustrazione del Medico” (1939), “Ecco”, “Settebello” and “Il Dramma” (1939) and designed many book covers for publishers Mondadori and Rizzoli.
After the war, Boccasile was imprisoned and tried for collaborating with the fascists. Though acquitted, he remained an outcast. He could not find work for several years, as his notoriety was feared by prospective employers.
Boccasile supported himself briefly by doing pornographic sketches for English and French publishers, and by 1946, after changing his style, he was back at work. He set up his own agency in Milan where he created memorable posters for Paglieri cosmetics, Chlorodont toothpaste, Iperchina liquors and Zenith footwear.
Boccasile died in Milan, from bronchitis and pleurisy, in 1952, aged 50. Here below is a set of amazing posters designed by Gino Boccasile in the 1930s and 1940s.
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| Achille Banfi Soap, Milano, circa 1930s |
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| Caffeol, Il migliore surrogato del caffè, circa 1930s |
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| Estratto Olandese Marca "Moretto", Il migliore surrogato del caffè, 1930 |
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| La Posata ideale, Wellner, Firenze, 1930 |
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| La Tessile, Milano, circa 1930s |
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| Pastiglie al Mugòlio con Clorofilla, circa 1930s |
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| San Remo, Torneo Internazionale, March 1930 |
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| Gevaert, La pellicola delle belle fotografie, 1931 |
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| 50 Gran Rifa de Automóviles Ford, May 1932 |
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| Calendar, Riunione Adriatica di Sicurta, 1934 |
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| XV Fiera di Milano, April 1934 |
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| Bantam, Cervo, Italia, circa 1935 |
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| Mostra Nazionale dello Sport, Milano, 1935 |
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| Disseta e Tonifica, Amaro Felsina Ramazzotti al Seltz, 1936 |
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| Federazione Italiana Nuoto [Diver], 1936 |
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| Federazione Italiana Nuoto [Start], 1936 |
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| Federazione Italiana Nuoto [Water Polo], 1936 |
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| L'Anonima Grandine, Milano, 1936 |
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| Compagnia del Teatro di Venezia, 1937 |
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| Diadermina, Salute della pelle, circa 1937 |
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| Galtrucco tessuti, circa 1937 |
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| L'Anonima Grandine, Milano, 1937 |
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| Salute della Pelle, Diadermina, 1937 |
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| Lugano, Suisse, Southern Switzerland, Schweiz, 1939 |
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| Miscela Marca Bricco, Sostituisce il Caffè, 1939 |
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| Apparecchi Sanitari, Tuberie in Grès, Manifattura Ceramica Pozzi, circa 1940s |
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| Appuntamento con la Salute, alle Terme di Castroreale-Bagni, Messina, circa 1940s |
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| Arzente Ramazzotti, circa 1940 |
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| Besana Panettoni, Milano, circa 1940s |
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| Calze Fer, Un velo di Seduzione, circa 1940s |
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| Chlorodont, Sviluppa Ossigeno, circa 1940s |
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| Manifattura Ceramica Pozzi, circa 1940s |
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| Millefiori Cucchi, circa 1940s |
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| Molle Rejna, Milano, circa 1940s |
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| Alla Rinascente "Tessuti tipo" Leumann, 1941 |
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| Haiti Coffee Corporation, circa 1948 |
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| Lama Bolzano, circa 1948 |
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| Milioni, Milioni, Milioni... Grande Concorso Uova Pasquali, Ivlas, Milano, circa 1948 |
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| Burro Optimus, Polenghi Lombardo Lodi, 1949 |
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| 2a Fiera del Regisole, Mostra Internazionale della Macchina per Cucire, 1949 |
