The 20th century had arrived; and with a starburst of electric light, a rumble of heavy machinery and a roar from the crowd, so had the modern city. Artists cast cautious glances at this sometimes gleaming, usually grimy giant. Who would have the nerve to paint it?

The Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876- 1944) despised the major artists of the day. These sensitive Parisian types, with their paintings of fruit bowls and farmers – they were just hiding from the modern globe! Marinetti was the driving force behind a brand new artistic movement, which he called Futurism. He was so eager to wrestle with modernity that he took a back to front approach – he began by writing down the Futurist movement’s ideals, and challenged other individuals to find a way of expressing them in images.

In 1908, Marinetti published the first of his many manifestos, declaring these ideas and plans. Although he lived in Milan, he managed to have his grand claims printed on the front page of Le Figaro, the well-known French newspaper; he wanted to reach the whole globe, not just a few Italian intellectuals. This energetic man led Futurism like a frenzied political campaign; he was often known as ‘the caffeine of Europe’!

Marinetti enthused about the speed and energy of new technology – he had toyed using the idea of calling his movement Dynamism, or Electricity. As a firm patriot, he was frustrated by the stagnation in Italian culture – it seemed that the Futurists would have to destroy the establishment before a brand new art could emerge, and he tried to spur individuals into action by stirring up a mood of aggression and confrontation. He held Futurist Evenings (Serata Futurista) in European theatres, antagonizing audiences by hurling abuse at them. Riots frequently ensued using the police in attendance.