Archivio Amneris Latis

Amneris Liesering Latis was born at Massagno, Ticino, in 1924. After attending vocational school in Lugano, she was apprenticed at the “Gazzetta Ticinese” before becoming a journalist. In 1946 she married Mario Latis and moved to Milan while continuing to work with Swiss Italian Radio.
In 1954 she began working with la Rinascente. In 1956 she was made artistic director of the first of the large exhibitions (the “Grandi Manifestazioni”, which continued until 1964) dedicated to the customs and crafts of various countries throughout the world; these were to characterize the department store’s commercial and cultural offer in the years that followed. The first exhibition dedicated to Japan was extraordinarily successful and was followed by Great Britain, India, Mexico and the United States.
Appointed director of the Advertising Office, in addition to conceiving advertising campaigns with photographers and graphic designers who left their mark on the history of Italian communication (Serge Libis, Giancarlo Iliprandi, Max Huber, Lora Lamm, Roberto Sambonet), she continued to help buyers to create commercial opportunities for the store’s various departments.
The relationship with la Rinascente ended in 1964 and from then on Amneris Latis worked on a freelance basis. In 1968 she founded AL Promotions, a consulting firm for institutions and companies. She collaborated with other important department stores in Europe and in 1968 she organized in New York what can be considered the first exhibition of Italian design, commissioned by the Hallmark Gallery.

The selection presented on the portal includes materials of various kinds: advertising catalogues, posters, invitations, brochures, tickets and publicity in general, professional photographs of settings (internal and external), display windows and still life; invaluable pictures that show Latis and other important names during the preparatory stages of a setting; correspondence and generously shared private cards that document the preliminary research and planning activities on important projects for la Rinascente, like the “Grandi Manifestazioni lR”. Rich materials that convey the commitment of an intense collaboration which led to absolutely innovative, effective and creative integrated communication.

© Archivio Amneris Latis, all rights reserved.