Thayat (Ernesto Michahelles), Luna Dietor Alle Nuvole, 1948, Oil on Board

Dreamlike work, full moon over the sea The work is unsigned but was exhibited at the MART Museum of Contemporary Art in Rovereto for a monographic exhibition -Thayaht Futurista irregolare- 2005 Published in the catalog (see photographs) 1940s frame Thayaht (Ernesto Michaelles) Born in Florence on August 21, 1893, died in 1959. In 1915, he devoted himself to artistic research. In 1920, together with his brother RAM, he designed and launched the "Tuta," a universal garment for everyone, through the daily newspaper La Nazione. That same year, he also coined his pseudonym, the palindrome Tayat, which was soon changed to Thayaht. From 1929, he published his designs in Moda, the official magazine of the National Fascist Clothing Industry Federation, and in May of the same year, he was introduced to Filippo Tommaso Marinetti by Primo Conti. It was Marinetti himself who, enthusiastic about some of his works, including the steel effigy of the Duce, Dux, introduced him to Mussolini, who received him shortly afterwards. On this occasion, Thayaht gave the Duce the sculpture, which was originally an attempt to depict the human effigy in the most synthetic way possible, but the enormous resemblance of the sculpture to the Duce led the artist to reconsider the subject. In October of the same year, he presented three sculptures and fifteen paintings at the "Trentatré Futuristi" exhibition at the Galleria Pesaro in Milan. In 1930, he participated in the International Exhibition in Barcelona, where he won the gold medal for the creation of "thayahttite," an aluminum and silver alloy he patented. Meanwhile, he was invited to the 12th International Art Biennale in Venice, where he exhibited six sculptures in the Futurist hall. He also participated in the international goldsmith exhibition, where he presented a display case with jewelry made of silver and steel alloy. In 1931, he was invited to the 1st National Art Quadrennial in Rome and in February, he organized the Futurist exhibition of painting, sculpture, aeropainting, and decorative arts at the Florence Art Gallery with his friend, the painter Antonio Marasco, introduced in the catalog by Marinetti. In the same year, together with his brother Ruggero, he edited a document on functional architecture entitled "Brevetto per Casolaria – Le case in serie" (Patent for Casolaria – Serial Houses). He also discussed futurist sculpture with Ezra Pound, pointing to trajectory as a new formula for representing solids in motion in three dimensions. In 1932, he was invited once again to the Venice International Art Biennale. Together with his brother, he also drew up the Manifesto for the Transformation of Men's Clothing. In 1934 and 1936, he participated again in the Venice Art Biennale. After 1945, his themes shifted towards the Tahitian figures of Paul Gauguin, whom he rediscovered as a "great colorist" and symbolic painter in search of a simple life at the origins of the world, creating Tahitian transformations of his works as a "liberation from miserable civilization." In 1945, he began to deepen his scientific and astronomical studies and became interested in ufology; in 1954, he founded C.I.R.N.O.S., the Independent Center for Research, News, and Space Observations. From 1956 to 1959, he pursued his esoteric studies in a more systematic manner. He died in Marina di Pietrasanta (Lucca) on April 29, 1959. He is buried in Florence, at the Allori Cemetery.