FMR

Named after one of Italy's most distinguished publishers Franco Maria Ricci, FMR arts magazine was printed bimonthly in Italian, English, German, French and Spanish.  Exquisite photography, signature black backgrounds, and beautiful renderings, it is a mystery to us how Ricci accomplished such perfection prior to the the digital age.  Based in Milan, and only available by subscription, the magazine enjoyed a short life during the 1980s and a cult following ever since.

Franco Mario Ricci studied geology and began his career with Gulf Oil.  He later opened a graphic arts studio and started his legacy of trademark design for numerous brands.  He designed: posters, catalogues, calendars, and books; leading him towards a career in publishing.  In an interview with designboom, in 2001, Ricci claims to know nothing about design or publishing and is not interested in what others are doing.  We love his attitude, initiative and perspective; we strive towards his model, inspired by his declaration of what is noteworthy.  Below are some of his thoughts on FMR and  the "panorama" of contemporary arts publication.

the panorama is terrible. in fact one of the reasons I decided to create
fmr 20 years ago was because I realized that there was a good sex magazine:
playboy, a good fashion magazine, vogue, good in the sense that they
carried out their tasks with dignity. but there wasn't a good art magazine. 
all of the magazines were filled with news, gossip, faces, small photos. 
art was humiliated. 
so I decided never to show anyone's face. 
I decided to publish monographic articles, so if I decide to do an article
about the cathedral of parma, I show 30 pages on the cathedral, not just

two photos and a short article...   

I try to use high-quality images with simple, readable texts
which are high quality, not accounts of gossip, so my magazine is
completely different from the others...

I don't want to teach art history, I want people to become accustomed to seeing the
beauty of art. I wanted my magazine to become a sort of school for taste,
for showing that the world is full of beautiful things.