Ernesto Thayaht

Italian painter and sculptor Ernesto Michahelles was of Anglo-Swiss origin and mainly used his artist palindromic name Thayaht. After growing up in Firenze, he studied in Paris at the Académie Ranson, starting in 1918, and was engaged by fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet to create her logo. In 1920 he moved to the United States for further study. Thayaht joined the futurism artists in Firenze and, like many futurists, supported Mussolini. After World War II, he turned to UFO research and esotericism. His artistic diversity was expressed in works from painting, sculpture, fashion, theater, arts and crafts to graphic advertising, photography and interior design. He was also considered one of the pioneers of industrial design. His brother RAM (Ruggero Alfredo Michahelles) often worked with him. Together they developed overalls as a piece of clothing under the name Tuta. His great-grandfather was well-known American sculptor Hiram Powers.

Ernesto Thayaht’s Tuffo (Diving) is a monumental, almost 3 m high sculpture made of patinated plaster with a metal base. The sculpture was shown at the Biennale in 1932 and at the First National Sports Art Exhibition in Roma in 1936. When it was rejected because of its large dimensions for the art competitions in Berlin, Thayaht produced a second, smaller version that was accepted.