ABSTRACT
Unlike Cubism, which was an informal coalition of like-minded individuals, Italian Futurism was an extremely coherent movement. Born and raised in Rome, Libero Altomare was one of seven poets who belonged to the Futurist old guard. Before Futurism was even invented he had published poetry in F. T. Marinetti's journal Poesia. Thereafter, he became a fervent defender of the Futurist cause and a faithful participant in Futurist activities. Returning from a stint in Libya, where he was a correspondent for a French newspaper, Marinetti sought to raise money for the families of soldiers killed or wounded in the Italo-Turkish War. Marinetti's astounding success was due not to any dictatorial qualities but to the fact that his colleagues admired and respected him. When he died of a heart attack in 1944, Futurism quickly dissolved. Like the Cubists, Marinetti and the others were searching for a new way of expressing reality.
