Fortune Magazine has a storied history of innovation, with clean-looking covers defined by cutting-edge graphics free of excessive typography. "Parade of Smokestacks" by Antonio Petruccelli may be one of Fortune's greatest covers of all time. Painted during "The Great Depression," its graphic depiction of smokestacks on the march toggles between representation and abstraction, confidently heralding the industrial optimism of the future. The painting is a technical tour de force in which the artist successfully renders the shapes with proper perspective and lighting, making a sophisticated composition look simple. Moreover, it prefigures the geometric art movements of the 1970s, which used precise forms and clean shapes arranged in harmony, balance, and order. Signed lower right. Provenance: The Estate of the Artist. Published: Fortune Magazine, September 1937. An example of this cover was included at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Show in 2023 -2024, “Art for the Millions: American Culture and Politics in the 1930s.” Frame size 25.5 x 22 inches. Framed under museum glass
