Published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, the book ‘Moon Atlas’ by Luca Missoni, published by Damiani and printed by Faenza Group, is a compelling photographic journey of discovery of the celestial body closest to our planet which has fascinated man since time immemorial. The hardback book with a laminated non-scratch cover has been printed using the innovative H-UV offset four-colour printing technology whose rendering of the colours and photos is next to none, even on natural or special paper. The pages inside have been printed in two different kinds of paper: a natural high-grade paper for the text and a matte coated paper for the photographs.
The hardback cover of ‘Moon Atlas’ is elegant and its colours are vibrant, thanks to the H-UV offset printing technology of Faenza Group. This effect continues inside the book, giving the reader even greater emotions. The natural paper conveys a feeling of sophistication and learning which is perfect for the text while, thanks to the matte coated paper and the H-UV printing technology, the photos taken over the years by Luca Missoni of the satellite of our planet, almost jump off the page with their force and energy. The star of the book is, without a doubt, the Moon, which is captured and described in each of its phases. This photographic work of art is enriched by sketches, posters and a series of interesting written contributions ranging from an extract from the treatise ‘The Sidereal Messenger’ by Galileo Galilei, the first person to explore the Moon’s surface through a telescope, to a long conversation between the author and Maurizio Bortolotti.
The photographer Luca Missoni has been fascinated by the Moon since he was a child and his incredible passion is clearly conveyed in his images. He had the good fortune to discover and nurture this interest at the time when Armstrong took his first step on the Moon. His passion later led him to photograph the ever-changing faces of the Moon with meticulous and scientific precision, working on his own personal artistic project over the years which has culminated in the publication of ‘Moon Atlas’.
Missoni is one of the best-known and best-loved fashion and design brands in the world. Synonymous with top-quality Italian knitwear, Missoni was founded in 1953 when Ottavio Missoni and his wife Rosita Jelmini set up a knitwear workshop in Gallarate, in the province of Varese. Luca Missoni is Ottavio and Rosita’s son and has always been involved in the family business as head of knitwear research and product development and for more than twenty years he designed its menswear and Missoni Sport collections. Today he is the Artistic Director of the Missoni Archives which he has developed as a way of researching and communicating the brand’s historical and artistic heritage. Photography has always been an integral part of his visual research. His photographs were presented at the Photology Gallery in Milan in 2001. He organised his first solo exhibition in 2002 at the Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans and since 2008 he has been represented by the Michael Hoppen Gallery in London.
‘Moon Atlas’ is a special book because it merges art and technology. The artistic aspect generates emotions with Luca Missoni’s beautiful photographs, while Faenza Group’s H-UV offset printing technology successfully transposes these emotions onto paper.
