Benedetta Cappa was born in Rome on 14th August 1897.

From an early age, she showed a particular flair for artistic expression in a broad sense: poetry, drawing, painting and creation in general. In his early twenties, he began attending Giacomo Balla’s studio, where he stood out for his talent and personality. There, in 1918, she also met Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, whose companion and wife she soon became.

The partnership between the two was long-lasting, artistic and professional, as well as emotional.

Several times and on several occasions Marinetti expressed his deep esteem for Cappa, emphasising his absolute genius. The two produced their first ‘tactile table’ in 1920, which was presented in Paris together with the Tactilism manifesto in January 1921.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Benedetta Cappa produced some of her most significant works. With painting characterised by the bold use of colour and the dynamic representation of movement, key elements of Futurism. Among his most famous works are ‘Motorcyclist’s Speed’ (1922) and ‘Iridescent Compenetration No. 2’ (1924). He also participated in numerous exhibitions and shows, taking his creations (paintings, sketches, studies and stage designs) around the world.

Among the most innovative aspects of his work was his participation in numerous wall decoration projects in public and private buildings, advancing the Futurist idea of integrating art and everyday life. His mural works, often large in size, were characterised by dynamic compositions and vibrant colours, with a strong sense of movement and modernity.

In the 1940s, Cappa continued to work and exhibit his works, despite the fact that the Futurist movement had by then lost some of its initial momentum. After Marinetti’s death in 1944, he continued to defend the legacy of that artistic movement, firmly believing in an art that was at the service of collective progress and modernity.

She died in Venice on 15th May 1977.

You can consult the birth certificate on the Ancestor Portal: Archivio di Stato di Roma > Stato civile italiano > Roma > 1897

The original is kept at the State Archives of Rome.

For more on the figure of Benedetta Cappa, see the entry in the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani edited by Luce Marinetti Barbi.