Born in 1740 in Saluzzo, Piedmont, and died in 1813 in Parma, Giambattista Bodoni was the son of a printer. He trained in Rome at the printing house of the Propaganda Fide, before being called in 1768 by the Duke of Parma to run the royal printing house, where he spent the rest of his life.
Vision
Bodoni sought formal perfection and geometric purity in letters. For him, the beauty of a book lay in regularity, sharpness and contrast, rather than in ornament.
Works
He cut hundreds of typefaces, which gave rise to Bodoni. His Manuale Tipografico, bringing together all his creations, was published in 1818, after his death, by his widow Margherita Dall'Aglio.
Legacy
Together with Firmin Didot, he is at the origin of the Didone family, which still dominates fashion and luxury. A museum in Parma, the Museo Bodoniano, is dedicated to him.