On February 20th, 1909, a belligerent manifesto announcing the birth of the Futurist movement appeared on the front page of the Paris newspaper Le Figaro and sent immediate shockwaves throughout Europe. The author, a young Italian poet named F.T. Marinetti, demanded that writers and artists reject the classic art of the past and celebrate the dynamic technology of modern city life. Joined by a group of like-minded artists, over the following years Marinetti pioneered an art that would eulogise speed and industry, in a reaction against the stasis of the classics, and even against contemporary movements such as Cubism. Available in English for the first time in over 20 years, the Futurist Manifestos are fiery, explosive and witty, and crucial to any full appreciation of modern art.

Afterword by: Richard Humphreys