The

international
design

ART LIFE
magazine
on interiors
and trends
lifestyle
architecture
and art

GUESTS OF GALLERY
OWNERS In Milan, Nicolò
Cardi’s home/museum. In Paris,
Kamel Mennour’s flat/gallery
ARTISTS’ HOMES Erwin Wurm
and Shilpa Gupta reveal their
houses in Vienna and Mumbai
Year 34 no 3 € 4.50

ART DESIGN Furnishings

and accessories for spaces
March 2023

inspired by Hockney’s works

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148
NEWS+CULTURE
17 Password
Art influences every aspect
of life. From everyday items to
urban redevelopment
18 Likes
Places, installations, objects.
This month’s favourites
28 Crossing
Welcome to the world
of performance art
53 A Milano
Ecology and biodiversity are
the focus of Miart 2023, curated
by Nicola Ricciardi
99
66 Art Gallery
Special guests of Thomas Dane,
an English gallerist who loves
Naples
74 People
Museums, art and the urban
fabric according to Tommaso
Sacchi, Councillor for Culture of
the Municipality of Milan
87 Thinking
The story of five museum
directors who are changing the
history of cultural institutions
179 Art Show
March exhibitions, openings
and events
No. 03—2023
DESIGN+ARCHITECTURE
61 Set Design
Paul Smith lands in the Musée
National Picasso, Paris,
to curate an exhibition of the
Spanish master’s works
77 Shopping
Special or unlimited editions
available online or in art
galleries
99 Artwork
Hockney Mood: 4 designer
collages create imaginary
indoor and outdoor spaces
108
STYLE+DECOR
39 Decor-Scouting
From Pierre Yovanovitch’s set
design to Marc Newson’s
comeback. And Burberry mania
turns into Land art
163 Inside-Design
News from the wellness area,
tactile finishes and a refined
colour palette
169 Design-Book
Versatile and functional pieces
designed for the office,
but also for making remote work
a little more Zen
13 ELLE DECOR

138
INTERIORS
108 In Vienna
Flooded with light filtering
through large windows,
Austrian artist Erwin Wurm’s
home looks like a New York loft
118 In Milan
The project by artist/craftsman
Henry Timi for the house of
gallery owner Nicolò Cardi
is ‘uncompromising’
14 ELLE DECOR
74
128 In Paris
Guests of Kamel Mennour:
in his home/galley, he shows us
the private side of an
overwhelming passion
for art and design
138 In Mumbai
A tropical oasis is the shelter
chosen by Indian artist
Shilpa Gupta and her husband,
architect and designer
Rajiv Saini
elledecor.it
118
Cover
148 In Milan
From the repurposing of one
of the oldest examples of
Lombard architecture to the
boutique hotel project by
Michele De Lucchi and Michele
Bönan. Welcome to the Portrait
Kamel Mennour: a life devoted
to art and Feng Shui;
article at p. 128, words by
Flavia Giorgi, photos
by Jean-François Jaussaud
 PASSWORD

03.23 [Art Life]

This issue is entirely devoted to art and its expressions. A world we follow with
passion, as it is linked to all aspects of life. We discuss it in the first part of the issue,
showing how pieces of art, from paintings to performances and site-specific installations,
are not simply works to be ‘observed’ in a museum or in the abstract spaces of a gallery,
but something that goes beyond the walls of a kunsthalle to enter everyday life.
Art can imbue both everyday items and design pieces, making them more special.
It can decorate domestic spaces, inviting us to reflect on many themes, and redevelop
our cities by contributing to the regeneration of neglected areas. In the following
pages, we will delve into this subject by exploring a selection of houses, chosen to
highlight how the works are part of a comprehensive project that tells of the owners’
attitudes and passions. As in the Milanese residence of gallery owner Nicolò Cardi,
an exceptional setting for his Arte Povera collection. Or in Kamel Mennour’s flat, in
Paris, where the works are arranged differently each time, but always interact.
Unsurprisingly, the same happens in artist’s homes. The Austrian Erwin Wurm,
in his house in Vienna, freely showcases works in an open space that looks like
a New York loft. And in their modernist villa in Mumbai, Indian Shilpa Gupta
and Rajiv Saini are surrounded by paintings and sculptures made by friends and
colleagues. In a perfect blend of art and life.
17 ELLE DECOR
ELLE DECOR LIKES
In Milan, an installation to reflect
on a better future
by Filippo Romeo
A fundamental place for remembering history
and making the errors committed by man indelible
in the memory of adults and new generations.
We are talking about the Shoah Memorial at
Milano Centrale and Binario 21, between 1943
and 1945 the place where thousands of Jews
and political opponents were loaded onto freight
wagons bound, among many others, for the
extermination camps of Auschwitz, Birkenau
and Mauthausen. On the occasion of last
Remembrance Day, 27 January, Marcello
Maloberti’s site-specific work ‘Invitami notte
a immaginare le stelle’ (Invite me, night, to
imagine the stars), permanently positioned at the
18 ELLE DECOR
[1]
Milano Centrale railway
station. At the entrance to the
Shoah Memorial, in Edmond
Jacob Safra square 1,
is Marcello Maloberti’s light
installation ‘Invitami notte a
immaginare le stelle’. A project
created in collaboration with
RAI and presented in the TV
program ‘Binario 21’, on the
occasion of the International
Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Photo © Andrea Rossetti / Tiziano Ercoli 2023 - Courtesy Marcello
Maloberti, Galleria Raffaella Cortese and Shoah Memorial, Milan
entrance to the museum, was unveiled.
The neon installation, donated by the artist
and the Galleria Raffaella Cortese, illuminates
the façade and the square in front of it.
The inscription is in the handwriting of life senator
Liliana Segre — survivor and spokesperson for all
Holocaust victims — who was invited by
Maloberti to leave a message of strength and
hope. The Memorial was conceived as a place
of reflection to focus on the fundamental right to
life. This work offers a poetic image that stands
out on the railings, drawing attention to a dramatic
page in our history. But inviting the viewer
to imagine a better future. —
ELLE DECOR LIKES

[2]
The series of firwood tables,
chairs and bookcases created
for Formafantasma’s ‘Cambio’
manifesto/exhibition will be
on display at the Giustini /
Stagetti gallery, Rome, until
7/4. 1858, the name of the
collection, is a tribute to the
trees felled in Val di Fiemme
by the 2018 Vaia storm.
giustinistagetti.com

In Rome, the furnishings of ‘Cambio’,

an exhibition/manifesto by Formafantasma
by Paola Carimati

In the new space in Via Gregoriana,
Rome, Giustini / Stagetti presents the ‘1858’
furniture collection designed by Studio
Formafantasma (until 7 April). Limited to twelve
pieces, the series, complete with table, bookcase,
console, chair, bench and stool, is edited
by the Roman gallery. Conceived by Simone
Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi in 2020 for their
solo exhibition ‘Cambio’ at the Serpentine
Galleries in London, the line of chairs, furniture
of solid spruce, also from the forest of Val
di Fiemme. The result of an unprecedented
investigation into the supply chains of the wood
industry, the Italian studio’s exhibition remains
a milestone in the history of design and its
transition towards the circularity of production
processes. Landed in the Centro Pecci per l’Arte
Contemporanea in Prato and then in the Museum
für Gestaltung in Zurich, ‘Cambio’ is a benchmark
for Made in Italy companies with respect
Photo Omar Golli

and accessories is made of wood from to the role they can play in translating
a single plant of the approximately fourteen environmental emergency issues into awareness,
million felled by the storm Vaia. The numbered information and collaboration between
reproduction, on the other hand, is made the various spheres of culture and science. —

20 ELLE DECOR
ELLE DECOR LIKES
In Belgium, the complete works
of Michele De Lucchi and his atelier
by Piera Belloni
Michele De Lucchi is one of the best-known
names in the design scene: a leading figure
of the avant-garde group Studio Alchimia in the
1970s, with Guerriero and Mendini, then of
Memphis with Ettore Sottsass, he is now at the helm
of the multidisciplinary studio AMDL Circle. To this
remarkable career, with a focus on his humanistic
approach, the CID - Grand Hornu in Boussu,
Belgium, dedicates an exhibition with a significant
subtitle: ‘Futuro Gentile’ (Gentle future). The
exhibition is structured into two parallel and
complementary itineraries. The first is devoted to
design, with historical pieces and new projects by
Produzione Privata, with the aim of “promoting
22 ELLE DECOR
[3]
Education Station - World
Station, from 2020,
is one of the imaginary
buildings designed by Michele
De Lucchi and his studio for
the Earth Stations series. To
be seen, together with other
design and architecture
projects, in ‘Michele De Lucchi
and AMDL Circle. Futuro
gentile’ at the CID, Grand
Hornu in Boussu, until 27/8.
cid-grand-hornu-be.
experimentation with a focus on craftsmanship”. The
second showcases and delves into his architectures,
realised or only imagined. Among these, videos and
models tell of the Earth Stations, buildings designed
to promote human wellbeing and the health of the
Planet, but also the more recent Satellite Stations,
presented at the last Salone del Mobile: small
wooden structures, such as pavilions, greenhouses
Render © Filippo Bolognese
and stages that, once disused, are destined to
become part of nature again. Finally, the original
maquettes and drawings of the Abitazioni Verticali
(Vertical Dwellings) are on display: provocative,
paradoxical and futuristic, they were developed
from the designer’s degree dissertation. —
ELLE DECOR LIKES

Natural fibres and colour

for a collection celebrating sustainability
by Marta Lavinia Carboni

[4]
Worn like a poncho, Chaman
is one of the furnishing fabrics
in the Bivouac collection
designed by Emilie Paralitici
for the French brand
Métaphores. It can be used as
upholstery or curtains and is
available in five different hues
(Naturel, Epice, Azur, Busy,
Fougére). metaphores.com

A tribute to distant landscapes such as the
vast prairies of South America, but also to the
decorations of Indian teepees and to geometries
and ethnic patterns that in the Bivouac series of
furnishing fabrics by Métaphores, a French artisan
brand part of the Hermès textile holding company,
are revived and reinterpreted. The collection,
ranging from the iridescent reflections of silk with
micro patterns to more graphic ones inspired by
primitive designs with a strong visual impact.
The collection is distinguished by its enveloping
tactile textures and yarns, woven by expert
craftspeople of small French manufacturers. At the
heart of the project is the company’s commitment
Photo Gaelle Le Boulicault

designed by Emilie Paralitici, an experienced to a more sustainable approach. An ode to nature

textile designer who worked for major fashion
houses and is now the brand’s Directrice de la
Création et de l’Image, is made of alpaca wool
and linen with chevron patterns and jacquard
weaves. The line includes fifteen different fabrics
that is not only visually appealing but real, thanks
to the controlled reduction of carbon emissions
during the entire production cycle, the promotion
of local manufacturing and sourcing, and the
choice of traceable raw materials. —

24 ELLE DECOR
ELLE DECOR LIKES
From upcycling to hacking: Raw Edges’
designer reuse
by Paola Carimati
The British duo Raw Edges takes the
international design scene by storm with a small,
unconventional project: the Bruta Kitchen
collection, presented at Stockholm Design Week
with Superfront, transforms creative upcycling into
designer hacking. Background: the couple met
Monica and Mick Born, founders of the young
Swedish brand, about two years ago. Spurred on
by the pandemic, together they decided to reflect
on a new way of ‘dressing’ the kitchen
environment, i.e. giving shape to a timeless
design: “Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay, always at
the forefront of experimentation with processes
and materials, are the perfect accomplices to
26 ELLE DECOR
[5]
A close-up on the Bruta
collection of handles, doors
and kitchen wall units by Raw
Edges for Superfront. The
surfaces of the low cabinets
feature a slight variation of
bas-relief textures to facilitate
opening. Available in five
colours, including terracotta,
brown and moss green.
superfront.com
whom we entrust the interpretation of our
entrepreneurial philosophy”, say the owners.
Based on this input, during the lockdown months
the studio turned the most functional and lived-in
area of the house into a masterplan. “We started
from Ikea furniture, specifically the Metod kitchen
system, for which we designed a set of new
modules: wall units, doors and MDF covers
complete with brass handles are our way of
Photo Karlsson Lundgren
giving the original furniture a second life”. The
bas-relief surface is a tribute to the graffiti that
defined, like tattoos, Brutalist concrete
architecture, “our obsession”, Yael concludes,
“hence the name Bruta”. —
CROSSING

Torkwase Dyson, ‘Nautical Dusk’, 2018 —

The American artist addresses the theme of space
and objects in relation to the bodies of women and
men. The performance is characterised by the
presence of ad hoc sculptural objects with which the
dancers interact. The result is a metaphor revolving
around the topics of living, sharing and hospitality.
 Eye on artistic action
Welcome to the world of performance art.
Where the body, together with sculptural objects,
interior design and architecture, steals the show
by Marco Arrigoni

Photo Gabe Souza. Courtesy Colby Museum of Art, Lunder Institute for American Art

29 ELLE DECOR
CROSSING

[1]

1. Anna Franceschini, ‘Did you know you have a broken glass in the
window?, 2020 — The video performance was inspired by an incident that
occurred in 1984 in Tiffany’s New York store, when a customer mistook
the presence of a broken glass in the window as an accident. In reality, it was
a choice by art director Gene Moore. 2. Pablo Bronstein, ‘Historical Dances
in an Antique Setting’, 2016 — Architecture is the main interest of the
Argentinean artist, who modifies space by choosing images of neoclassical
buildings as scenery. 3. Michele Rizzo, ‘Spacewalk’, 2017 — The Italian
artist-choreographer creates a set in Amsterdam’s Brakke Grond Theatre
in which plinths and platforms support the dancers’ movements.

[2]

[3]

Photos courtesy of the artist and Vistamare/ Milano, Pescara - BrothertonLock © Pablo Bronstein

30 ELLE DECOR
CROSSING

Actors, dancers, audience and artists. In a performance, the body is one

of the ‘materials’ that contribute to the construction of the work

Photo Andrea Rossetti. Courtesy of the artist and Ester Schipper, Berlin/ Paris/ Seoul

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster,
‘Opera (QM.15)’, 2014 — The French artist,
star of a recently concluded solo exhibit
at the Serpentine Galleries in London,
impersonates Maria Callas. She is not
physically present in the exhibition space,
but through a hologram projected onto a
rectangle of light. With these performance/
apparitions, Dominique has embodied the
likes of Bob Dylan and Emily Brontë.

32 ELLE DECOR
CROSSING

[1]

[2]

1. Studio Drift, ‘Orfeo’ by Monteverdi — At the Nederlandse

Reisopera, the Dutch duo creates a kinetic sculpture controlled by
algorithms, which fluctuates according to the movements of actors and
dancers. 2. Owan McGilvary & Yan White, ‘I am the cleaner’, 2016 —
In the group show curated by Francesco Bonami at the Nahmad Projects

Photos Ossip van Duivenbode - Benedict Johnson. Courtesy Nahmad Project, London - Kristien Daem/M HKA Antwerp.
gallery, the two young Englishmen, equipped with hoovers, performed an
action inspired by the well-known German artist Tino Sehgal. 3. Anthea
Hamilton, ‘Mash Up’, 2022 — Famous for her maxi installations, the British
artist uses shapes and colours to alter the surfaces and dimensions of the
spaces in which she performs.

Courtesy of the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery, with special thanks to Loewe

[3]

34 ELLE DECOR
CROSSING

The addition of sculptural elements or the subtraction of architectural portions adapt

the site to the needs of the performance. Making it a comprehensive project

Using the body as a real material, like painting on canvas,
to convey emotions and a strong, incisive and spectacular
message. Artists use it to create atmospheres of great intensity
that go beyond the visual power of a sculpture or the emphasis
on space in a site-specific installation. Because performance also
implies the use of sound, the creation of choreography,
the choice of the most suitable location, sometimes even the stage
presence of the author, as demonstrated by Marina Abramovic.
We are talking about an art form that is anything but static:
it is alive, involving, immersive, and here the body — of actors
following a precise script, of dancers performing agreed or
random movements and of the spectators involved —
takes centre stage. For its fans, this is the ideal time: just follow
the numerous events organised by FOG, Performing Arts Festival,
on show until 11/5 at the Milan Triennale. From the Italian artistic
duo Madalena Reversa’s reinterpretation of Lord Byron’s
dramatic poem ‘Manfred’ (10/3) to the great energy
of the seven dancers led by US choreographer Trajal Harrell;
from the music of ‘The Köln Concert’ (18-19/3), to the
performance of Milanese Annamaria Ajmone (25-26 March),
to name but a few. Starting from the importance of interaction
with space — be it a home interior, the architecture of a museum,
the spaces of an art gallery or the square of a city — we have
selected some of the most up-to-date artists who draw inspiration
for their works precisely from this aspect. There are those who,
called upon to measure themselves with a pre-existing place,
have transformed it to host the artistic action. This is the case
of Anne Imhof, who for ‘Faust’, the performance that won the
2017 Golden Lion prize, reshaped the German Pavilion
at the Venice Biennale by creating environments with which her
characters could interact: fences, iron beams fixed to the walls,
suspended glass floors. “On the one hand, the transparent
surfaces reflect the observers; on the other, they allow them
to see what lies beyond, creating a kind of depth”, explains the
artist from Giessen (Hesse), confirming the poetic value of the
materials used. But there is more. In ‘Tragic space’, performed at
the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, the Argentinean
Pablo Bronstein has modified the walls of the museum, turning
them into a support for images with a neoclassical flavour,
acting as a scenery. Other artists, on the other hand, design
three-dimensional volumes, backdrops and pedestals
to create an abstract, ideal stage from scratch. “To offer
a different performance space, far removed from the architecture
of the exhibition environment, so that it functions as a stage,
a neutral place”, confirms English artist Anthea Hamilton.
The objects arranged by the authors to favour the artistic action
are volumes and surfaces with which to come into contact, but
also ‘containers/shelters’ to accommodate the actors or the
audience. “To move through the work, to touch it”, says New
York-based Torkwase Dyson, who specialises in performances
that take shape around large black sculptures or inclined
platforms designed ad hoc to be traversed by bodies. Hers is:
“An invitation to enter the work, to stand on it and interact
with it”. To make the performance a unique experience. —

Anne Imhof, ‘Faust’, 2017 —

On stage for seven months at the
Venice Biennale, the performance
took place in the German Pavilion,
which was completely modified by
raised floors made of transparent
glass, metal beams and new fences.
These architectural elements were
‘used’ by model-actors who,
moving slowly, created highly
evocative choreographies.
Photo Nadine Fraczkowski

36 ELLE DECOR
 DECORSCOUTING
A well-known pattern is turned into Land art. With set design
by Pierre Yovanovitch and Marc Newson’s new projects
by Murielle Bortolotto

Fashionable landscapes.
The Burberry brand, whose ambition
is to be Climate Positive by 2040,
presents a series of Land works
created by artist Jorge Rodriguez-
Gerada. Integrating the Maison’s
iconic pattern into the landscape
in a macro version, the installation
uses the roots of a variety of plants.
Pictured, a meadow in the South
African Cape Overberg region,
grown and nurtured using water
sourced from rainfall. burberry.com
Photos © Courtesy of Burberry

39 ELLE DECOR
DECORSCOUTING

Previously unreleased designs by Charlotte Perriand make up

a collection of hand-knotted rugs. The five-piece series is inspired by the 1972
‘panneaux ouvrants’ created for Les Arcs, a ski resort in the Savoy region,
to whose ambitious project the French architect devoted twenty years.
The rugs were supposed to furnish the flats of the Pierre Blanche building
complex, an idea that however remained only on paper. Today cc-tapis
brings them to life, faithfully reproducing the twelve shades of these
Himalayan wool rugs, available in three formats. cc-tapis.com

Matita is a new series of

silent (i.e. image-only) books,

Photos Carlotta Gargini - Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd Courtesy Gagosian

both for children and adults,
exploring themes such as
design, architecture, urban
planning and the environment.
An idea by Delphine Trouillard,
a Frenchwoman with
a degree in Mathematics and
long-standing collaborator of
Palazzo Grassi, who involved
On display all month long in Paris, talented illustrators and
at the Gagosian Gallery (rue de Castiglione, 9), graphic designers. Pictured,
are Marc Newson’s new works. The designer a drawing by Stefania Agostini
known for his signature fluid and organic and Luca Mostarda, from
forms is showcasing five special, limited-edition the AMArchitecture studio
pieces of furniture. Pictured, the glass chair in Milan, among the publishing
on which the Australian designer is portrayed. house’s collaborators.
gagosian.com matitaedizioni.com

40 ELLE DECOR
DECORSCOUTING

Computer case. Tired of the aesthetics

of your hardware? The Swedes at Teenage
Engineering have come up with a super flat
and super stylish case to decorate Mac or
PC hardware. Available in pure RAL 2004
orange, and now also in anodised aluminium,
it can be bought on teenage.engineering.
It arrives via mail in a slim package and can
be ‘nerdly’ assembled in no time.

42 ELLE DECOR
DECORSCOUTING

Under the sun, art à la plage. With Miró-inspired

fabric, and furniture for outdoor relaxation

[1]

[2]

[3] [4]

1. Inspired by the works of the Spanish painter,

Miró is the pure white cotton fabric by Prima Linea, with patterns
available in two colour variants (@primalineaeditoriatessile).
2. Glazed ceramic for the top of the Pantagruel table by Atmosphera
Creative Lab, and solid white or graphite aluminium for its structure.
To be chosen in three sizes (atmospheraitaly.com). 3. Folding
and resembling a director’s chair, is Terra by LCM Marin Design
Studio for Emu. Wide, it is made of tubular aluminium (emu.it).
4. Michael Anastassiades designed the powder-coated stainless
steel Plein Air chair by Roda (rodaonline.com).

44 ELLE DECOR
DECORSCOUTING

Pierre Yovanovitch goes to the opera. At the request of director

Vincent Huguet, the French interior designer has created the set design
for Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’, billing until 21 June at the Theater
Basel in Switzerland. On stage, awaiting applause, stands a central,
minimalist yet all-enveloping structure defined by three sliding walls
painted red and blue, while a sinuous white staircase embraces
the performers. pierreyovanovitch.com

Photo Paolo Abate

46 ELLE DECOR
DECORSCOUTING

From the collaboration between Liz

Lambert, a Texan hotel entrepreneur, and the
textile brand Perennials comes the Far West
line of textiles and rugs. Pictured, Baja in the
Azul variant and Sol and Tejas in the Cosmic
colour. Cheerful Bayadere stripes for indoor
and outdoor use. perennialsfabric.com

Issey Miyake celebrates his friendship with Ikko

Tanaka. The well-known Japanese brand translates
the compatriot graphic designer’s drawings into
a new collection. Ikko Tanaka Issey Miyake No. 6
is a clothing line made of lightweight pleated fabric,
where the macro-peonies from the artist’s signature
‘Plant Series’ come to life on garments, raincoats
and umbrellas. isseymiyake.com

News from Madrid

The founders of Tornasol
Studio, Inés Llasera and
Guillermo Trapiello, present
Photos Henry Leutwyler - Yago Castromil

Kauani, poetic handmade

lamps inspired by the
shape of succulent plants.
A co-production created with
Mexican textile designer Inés
Quezada. tornasolstudio.com

48 ELLE DECOR
 IN MILAN

The nature of art

The 2023 edition of Miart, curated by Nicola Ricciardi,
speaks of ecology and biodiversity. Here figurative
painting, reassuring and intense, makes its big comeback
words by Germano D’Acquisto

The Soft Spot (Floor, 51.5 cm),

2020, created by Nathalie Djurberg &
Hans Berg, from 11 to 16/4 it will be
on show at Miart, in the Giò Marconi
gallery space, Milan. Both born in
Sweden in 1978, the two artists work
in Berlin and design surreal works made
of plasticine, stucco, wood and resin
dedicated to controversial themes
such as sexuality, lust, submission,
exploitation and greed.
Photo Fabio Mantegna

53 ELLE DECOR
IN MILAN

Established — 133 international galleries exhibit modern

and contemporary art, from painting to photography; from sculpture
to video and installations

Caio Reisewitz

Ann Veronica Janssens

‘Tapuhyba’: Caio Reisewitz’s work is on

display at the Bottegantica gallery stand in Milan
and Bologna, in the Established category.
Born in 1967, the Brazilian artist/photographer
creates collages taken from archive images,
such as this artificial jungle made by superimposing
shots of different places. ‘Frisson bleu, frisson rose’
by Ann Veronica Janssens is on show in the space
of Berlin-based Esther Schipper. From 6 to 30/7,
the Pirelli Hangar Bicocca in Milan will set up a
large solo exhibition to the British artist with a
studio in Brussels. At the core of her poetics is the
perception of self and one’s own body, reinterpreted
in an abstract version. The floral carpet
‘On Responsibilities Acquired while on a Stroll
in a Garden in Europe’ is the work by Maria
Thereza Alves, showcased at the Parisian Michel
Rein gallery stand. The pieces of this artist from
São Paulo have always focused on ecology and the
defence of indigenous minorities.

Maria Thereza Alves

54 ELLE DECOR
 IN MILAN

Emergent — The section curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini

presents 26 young galleries committed to promoting
new generations of artists

Giulia Mangoni

Emilia Kina

The oil on canvas ‘Garigliano sogno Ecuador’

is the work of the young Italian-Brazilian artist
Giulia Mangoni. On display at the Milanese
ArtNoble gallery stand, it focuses on issues of
memory and identity linked to specific local
communities. ‘Untitled’ by Emilia Kina, exhibited
in the Milanese East Contemporary gallery space,
is an oil on canvas made on a modelled frame.
33 years old, the Cracow-based artist has been
studying the relationship between painting and
image for years. The work ‘Silly me still clings
to the promise held in my memory of his glistening
shell (Sorry I)’ by Zoë Field, presented
by the Viennese City Galerie, is a silkscreen
on canvas that speaks of the toxicity that can be
part of human relationships.

Zoë Field

56 ELLE DECOR
IN MILAN
“For the event, this year marks the end of a radical reconstruction process:
from now on, we will experiment while having fun”
Nothing is more current than tradition. The new edition
of Miart, the modern and contemporary art fair that will take
place in Milan from 11 to 16 April and of which, once again this
year, Elle Decor Italia is a media partner, revolves around this
theme. The trends that emerge when observing the proposals of
the 169 galleries showcasing their pieces in the spaces of
Pavilion 3 of Allianz MiCo, are clear and underline a revival of
the past; above all, of painting and figurative art, true safe
havens in a fluid age where, on the contrary, there is a constant
search for concreteness. Director Nicola Ricciardi, at the helm
of the kermesse that, choosing a musical metaphor, is entitled
‘Crescendo’, has no doubts: “It is the triumph of paintings,
canvases and colour, to the detriment of technology, which
apparently is already coming to a halt. For what reason?
One could discuss it for months, but the dynamics are always the
same: in times of crisis, paintings have always offered greater
stability. Partly because they are true safe havens; partly because
they are trivially easier to transport and hang on the walls”.
Ricciardi emphasises that it is precisely the younger generation
that chooses figurative painting as a means of expression, trying
to find new ways to update it. “Many artists born in the 1990s or
even in the 2000s are attracted by this language, which they
manage to interpret in a new, fresh way. They come from the most
disparate latitudes, from Africa to China and Japan, and have
won the hearts of many international gallerists that at Miart will
only present shows devoted to the representation of reality”.
Apparently, the theme will be explored from a decidedly
eco-friendly perspective. This year, in fact, many works will focus
on environmental concerns: among them, the outstanding project
of the American gallery Clearing, where floral works by Javier
Barrios, an artist who portrays buds and corollas to address
biodiversity issues, will be on display. However, the novelties of
58 ELLE DECOR
Nicola Ricciardi
this 27th edition not only will involve the Italian art scene,
but also international guests. Many big names, such as Esther
Schipper (Berlin, Paris and Seoul), Dvir Gallery (Tel Aviv,
Paris and Brussels), Galerie Gregor Staiger (Zurich and Milan)
and Kendall Koppe (Glasgow) will return to the scene.
Besides this, the grand entrée of the Parisian super-gallery
Perrotin is particularly intriguing. With venues all over the world —
from the Ville Lumière to New York; from Hong Kong to Seoul;
from Tokyo to Shanghai and even Dubai – it represents a sort of
benchmark for the globe’s most important collectors.
The various artistic expressions will be interpreted in the following
three sections: Established, devoted to international big names;
Decades, curated by Alberto Salvadori, which delves into the
20th century, decade by decade; and Emergent, curated by
Attilia Fattori Franchini, with 26 young galleries committed to
promoting new generations of artists. In such a framework,
design will also take centre stage. The participation of galleries
such as Milan’s Luisa Delle Piane, Eredi Marelli of Cantù,
and Piacenza’s ED Gallery is now a staple of the event.
The newcomer Bernini Gallery, based in Misinto, Brianza,
will showcase works by Carlo Scarpa and Alessandro Mendini,
Ugo La Pietra and Ettore Sottsass. “2023 will be a fundamental
year for Miart”, Ricciardi concludes. “Because it marks the end
of a radical reconstruction process that started from its very
foundations. Now that these foundations have become more
solid, we can be bolder in the coming years, making even
more room for imagination”. —
One of the images of the Miart communication
campaign curated by the multidisciplinary studio Cabinet
Milano, with shots by Philippine Chaumont and Agathe
Zaerpour. The women portrayed are not professional
models, but ordinary people, selected because they break
the norms linked to female stereotypes.
 SET DESIGN

Above, a draft of the set design created by Paul Smith

for the room ‘Blue Melancholy’, part of the exhibition
‘Célébration Picasso – La collection prend des couleurs!’
(Paris, 7 March – 27 August).

Pablo & Paul

50 years after Pablo Picasso’s death, the Musée National
Picasso, Paris, has invited Sir Paul Smith to oversee the art direction
of an exhibition/event showcasing works by the great painter
by Paola Maraone — illustrations by Brigitte Veyne

61 ELLE DECOR
SET DESIGN

A meeting between masters — The creative talents of Pablo Picasso and Paul
Smith come together in this set-up curated by the British fashion designer

[1]

[2]

[3]

1. The set design of the room devoted to the plates

created by Picasso. The artist began working with
ceramics in 1947, and profoundly enjoyed modelling,
painting and etching these works. The white plates
hanging on the walls in this room symbolise the
master’s prolific production. 2. On display, ‘Portrait
of Dora Maar’, oil on canvas (1937). 3. The room
paying homage to Picasso’s love of stripes: in the
series ‘Femmes assises au fauteuil’, the different
stripes generate a dynamic interplay of colour.
And after all, multicolour stripes are also one of
Paul Smith’s signature motifs.

62 ELLE DECOR
SET DESIGN
British fashion designer Paul Smith oversees the art direction
of an exhibition showcasing the most famous works by
Pablo Picasso: from 7 March to 27 August, exactly 50 years after
the Spanish artist’s death, the Musée National Picasso-Paris is
hosting ‘Célébration Picasso — La collection prend des couleurs!’.
The collection literally turns colourful and takes on a new light.
“I couldn’t believe it when the museum team contacted me over
two years ago”, the designer reveals to Elle Decor. “I feel
incredibly lucky to have been given this opportunity, but also
infinitely small compared to Picasso’s genius. Working on a
project of this calibre has proven magnificent and, of course,
terrifying… not least because the museum gave me carte
blanche”. Moving within a total absence of limitations — albeit
virtual – isn’t easy, but the project took shape, developing both
unexpectedly and daringly, also thanks to the unconditional
support offered by co-curators Cécile Debray, recently appointed
director of the Musée Picasso, and art historian Joanne Snrech.
“I’ve seen many exhibitions on Picasso, all over the world.
In general, and fairly traditionally, his works are hung on a wall
with little else around them”, Paul Smith explains. “Whereas I
decided to be more spontaneous and instinctive in facing this
challenge. All this creative freedom scared me, because the
world is full of Picasso experts, and I didn’t want them to find me
disrespectful. I’d never really studied the master’s work, and my
academic background in the fields of art and design is minimal.
So, my goal was to offer a multifaceted and, I hope, more
interesting visual experience even for a younger audience and
for anyone unfamiliar with Picasso’s oeuvre”. Thus, in this
colossal celebration with its jazz background music, the walls are
papered with pages of old fashion magazines; in one room,
floor-to-ceiling vertical stripes in contrasting colours decorate the
walls where the works are hanging. Paul Smith has drawn
inspiration from the hues and other visual elements in Picasso’s
works, transferring them to every part of the exhibition area.
64 ELLE DECOR
“I wanted to create a journey that felt almost theatrical”. An
example, right at the entrance, is “the ‘Blue Melancholy’ room —
devoted to Picasso’s renowned Blue Period — where the walls are
flooded with this colour. Standing out is the Self-Portrait painted
in blue and purple by Picasso at the age of twenty
and which, according to the artist himself, exuded his
depression”. And in the same shades, his portraits of homeless
beggars, sex workers and lonely drinkers in the dark bars near
his house. “By emphasising these colours, I hope we’ll encourage
visitors to see these amazingly intense works in a new light”.
The designer’s unique approach represents an invitation to view
these works through a modern lens, showcasing the two artists’
common interests: objects, clothing, radical and modern ideas.
And an irrepressible playfulness that goes against those who
would prefer the world to be restrained by strict rules, “so
homogeneous and organised”, adds Paul Smith. “I’d never dare
to compare myself to Picasso, but after devoting myself for so
long to discovering his works, I do think that we have similar
approaches to work and to life. Picasso managed to find
inspiration in all his surroundings. And I’ve always said:
‘You can find inspiration in everything; if not, it means you have
to look again’. I think it’s this curiosity, more than anything else,
that we share”. We ask him if he has a favourite piece among so
many paintings. He smiles. “Of course: ‘Paulo (Paul in English) as
Harlequin’. What else?”. —
Below, the cover of the exhibition catalogue
‘Célébration Picasso – La collection prend des couleurs!’
(ed. Beaux Arts). Right, Sir Paul Smith, 76 years old.
ART GALLERY

Englishman in Naples
Contemporary art, design and a ‘secret home’.
Special guests of Thomas Dane, an English gallerist
who chose Naples as his new location
words by Filippo Romeo — photos by Lea Anouchinsky

66 ELLE DECOR
A view of the spectacular loggia of the Thomas
Dane Gallery in Naples. Table by Carlo Scarpa
and chairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. Right,
in the corner, a work by Abbas Akhavan.
Opposite page, one of the interior rooms with,
hanging, a work by Jimmie Durham and,
on the wall, a piece by Catherine Opie.

67 ELLE DECOR
 Clockwise from top, in the large
central hall, works by Serpas.
The view of the Gulf of Naples
from the loggia. Hanging, work
by Jimmie Durham. Opposite
page, in one of the gallery
rooms, the large site-specific
installation by Abraham
Cruzvillegas, created using
salvaged objects found during
his stay in Naples.

68 ELLE DECOR
ART GALLERY

69 ELLE DECOR
ART GALLERY

“I wanted a space that could

include a residence, to invite our
artists to work on projects while
experiencing the Neapolitan energy”
Thomas Dane

Clockwise from top, a series

of glimpses of the private
residence attached to the gallery
in which Thomas Dane hosts the
artists invited to create the
pieces included in the exhibition.
In the living room, vintage
Soriana sofas by Afra and Tobia
Scarpa and, on the wall, works
by Alexandre da Cunha. On the
bedroom walls, pieces of art by
Jean-Luc Moulène and Michael
Landy. In the hallway, a work
by Anthea Hamilton, Carlos
Maria Romero & Lewis Ronald.

70 ELLE DECOR
ART GALLERY
“Each show is the result of an ongoing dialogue between curator, artists and
our team in order to create harmony between the works and the space”
We discovered it last October, during a visit to Naples
in search of novelties. Although it has only been open for five
years, it stands out for its selection of artists from the international
scene, ranging from young talents to big names such as the
Americans Jimmie Durham, Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement
at the 58th Venice Biennale, and Lynda Benglis, famous for her
works linked to the feminist demands of the 1960s and 1970s, as
well as the Englishwoman Cecily Brown, or the Italian Luisa
Lambri. We are talking about the Thomas Dane Gallery in
Naples, in the elegant Via Crispi, in a 19th-century building that is
home to the Benedetto Croce Foundation, a stone’s throw from
the Institut Français de Naples ‘Le Grenoble’ and Villa Lauro, the
residence of the ship-owner and mayor of the city in the 1950s.
What prompted a gallery owner with two locations in London’s
central Duke Street to open a new space in Naples? “It was an
intuitive and alternative move compared to Milan or Rome.
I couldn’t think of another city in Europe, plus I wanted a space
that could include a residence, to invite our artists to work on
projects while experiencing the Neapolitan energy. When I
visited this place, together with the architect Sifola, who helped
me with the research, I realised it was perfect”, Dane explains.
It is no coincidence that in addition to the incredible sequence of
rooms characterised by tall windows, period stuccoes and
majestic columns, we were captivated by the presence of this
‘secret home’ attached to the gallery, furnished with taste and
attention to design. Among the pieces are the Soriana sofa by
Afra and Tobia Scarpa, a desk by Sergio Rodrigues, lamps by
the Castiglioni brothers, furnishings and accessories that
discreetly interact with carefully chosen early 20th-century
72 ELLE DECOR
The loggia overlooking the Gulf
of Naples is an ideal space for
displaying small installations
that interact with the space and
the landscape. The small white
sculpture in the foreground and
the fountain-sculpture on the left
are works by Abbas Akhavan.
Thomas Dane
furniture. But the passion for design also continues in the loggia,
a unique place flooded with natural light, where visitors enjoy
a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Naples. It’s a perfect space to
set up works for solo and large group exhibitions such as the most
recent ‘Mettere al mondo il mondo’ (Giving birth to the world),
curated by Mark Godfrey and recently concluded, with works
by Los Angeles-based Ser Ser Serpas, Mexican Abraham
Cruzvillegas, and Iranian Abbas Akhavan, among many others.
“Alongside these artists we have displayed others, showcasing
some works in a different way. Between one exhibition
and the next, it is our custom to propose new artworks. This is a
further way of sharing the gallery’s pieces with visitors”, adds
director Federica Sheehan who, together with Camilla Bove and
Maria Giulia Rocco, explains the genesis of each piece, the
relationship with the authors and why a specific set design was
chosen. “Each show is the result of an ongoing dialogue between
curator, artists and our team in order to create harmony
between the works and the space”, Dane confirms. From the
1980s, with the arrival of Joseph Beuys and Andy Warhol,
invited to Naples by Lucio Amelio, to the current situation, rich in
exhibition spaces, the Neapolitan collecting scene has always
been lively. We wonder how it is seen through the eyes of an
English gallerist. “The city boasts a great tradition of
contemporary art and some extraordinary collections. I am still
learning about it”, Thomas Dane concludes, emphasising the
importance of curiosity in this profession. And, with the presence
of his gallery, in addition to ArtBasel and Frieze London,
at the next edition of the Turin fair Artissima, he shows a real
passion for our country. Welcome, Thomas. —
Milanese, born in 1983,
Tommaso Sacchi started working
for the municipal government of
Milan as a collaborator of Stefano
Boeri, Councillor for Culture of the
Pisapia Administration. He then
moved to Florence to fill the same
role as the architect.

Tommaso Sacchi
The Councillor for Culture of the Sala Administration recounts
present and future Milan: a lively, participatory and even more
contemporary city. Where creativity, widespread and accessible,
becomes a bridge between the centre and the suburbs
by Paola Carimati — portrait by Lea Anouchinsky
“I turn forty and change my life”, he said impetuously when he was
still Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Florence, almost
as if he wanted to put an end to his total dedication to ‘public
affairs’. In office for little more than a year, 2019 saw him
engaged together with Mayor Dario Nardella in the ambitious
path of cultural transition that would propel the city of art, cradle
of the Renaissance, towards the future. Very active in the territory,
today as yesterday, it is impossible not to recognise his smiling
gaze, always open and available, or to glimpse the movement of
his hands, reaching out and shaking other hands: it’s his polite way
of building relationships and making community. With the local
elections that confirmed Beppe Sala as first citizen of Lombardy’s
capital city, Tommaso Sacchi returned to Milan. And he has
returned home to embrace his city, wounded and still afraid of
Covid, and to promote the places that are dearest to him: the Brera
and Base art galleries, the Triennale and all the institutions that
produce knowledge. “Mine is not a job, but a life project”, the
councillor confides, procrastinating on D-Day.
“With the end of the pandemic, the desire to participate
has re-emerged”, he says euphorically: with data in hand and
queues at the entrance, 2,250 million tickets have been sold
at civic museums. “I also like to expound on growth results, but
shouting out numbers cannot be the only way to recount
achievements. And above all, it must not become an ostentatious
style for Milan”, so head down and work hard, quoting the mayor.
“Success is the result of a system of intricate and complex variables
that together with my team I am sorting and analysing”, he points
out, outlining the plan of action that starts with the definition of a
three-year programme for the Palazzo Reale and goes on to
include collaboration with major cities. “The objective is to set up a
‘cultural federalism’ project that will allow us to simplify the art
loan agreement process”. Bringing the Florentine Renaissance to
Palazzo Marino, with paintings by Tino di Camaino, Beato
Angelico, Filippo Lippi and Sandro Botticelli, was a masterpiece
operation: almost 20,000 people visited ‘La carità e la bellezza’
(Charity and beauty). Mixing public and private spheres is another
challenge that has been met: the next MiArt edition (14–16 April)
has in fact succeeded in attracting all the major players,
from institutional venues to art galleries. “Today ArtWeek is ‘the
place to be’: an unmissable event. The Milanese museums are
therefore restarting with great enthusiasm and preparing for an
unprecedented season: “The works of Goya and Bill Viola,
Yuri Ancarani and Gabriele Basilico, Leandro Erlich and Giorgio
Morandi, but also El Greco, Rodin, Pistoletto and Van Gogh will
take centre stage”. Salgado will land in the Fabbrica del Vapore,
PEOPLE
almost as if to anticipate the discussion on the future of a part
of the city that will go through a process of creative regeneration:
“here, next to the Monumentale, the great open-air museum,
and not far from the Adi Museum, Villa Simonetta and the future
Campus of the Arts in the former Farini stopover, an incubator
for new ideas will be established”. Sacchi is already at work and,
together with Alessandro Bollo, the newly appointed project
manager, is developing a reforestation project, “which envisages,
for the square bordered by the structure, the careful introduction of
new tree and animal species”, and fundraising for 1 million euro.
From content to containers: “for the first time since the
post-war period, our department is managing an extraordinary
cultural infrastructure plan”, of the 350 million euro needed to
implement it, 160 are financed by the NRRP. From north to south:
Renzo Piano’s Bovisa-Goccia science park for the Politecnico,
together with the Cittadella della Scala in Rubattino, which will
serve as a laboratory open to the public, and the Biblioteca
Europea di Informazione e Cultura (Beic, European Library of
Information and Culture) by Onsitestudio, in Porta Vittoria:
“by 2026, for the opening of the Winter Olympics, Milan will be
the snapshot of a true archipelago city”, and culture will be
accessible in 15 minutes. There are notable landmarks to keep an
eye on: the Feltrinelli Foundation, in front of which, as planned by
Herzog & de Meuron, the National Museum of the Resistance will
be built; and the Albergo Diurno Venezia, which will house the
National Museum of Digital Art. Just a few steps away,
construction sites for the conversion of Palazzo Dugnani into a
creative hub and for the doubling of the Museo del Novecento,
will soon open: “with the expansion of the spaces in the twin tower
of the Arengario, in collaboration with the director Gianfranco
Maraniello, we will give shape to the most important collection
of Futurism in the world”.
Each major project is echoed by a constellation of small
events widespread and enjoyed by all districts. “‘Milano è viva’
(Milan is alive) was the first plan I endorsed when I took office,
to promote the activities organised beyond the outer ring road”,
he says with the pride of someone who knows how to connect
centre and suburbs with bold, innovative actions (and 2,400
million euro allocated). “But there’s more: we have inaugurated
24 libraries (also) in the porters’ lounges of the Aler apartment
blocks, in social housing, and promoted Pids, that is, ‘Piccole
iniziative diffuse di carattere socio culturale’ (Small diffuse
socio-cultural undertakings)”, the Councillor concludes. From
cinema on wheels to tango in the squares, Tommaso Sacchi’s gaze
triggers new interactions. And experiments with passion. —
75 ELLE DECOR
 SHOPPING

Art decor
Table and furnishing accessories, but also
wallpapers, lamps and carpets designed by the masters
of contemporary art. Special or unlimited editions
available online or in art galleries
by Marco Arrigoni

Kara Walker, jugs — The Californian artist is famous for silhouettes

depicting victims of crimes related to sexuality, violence and submission, created
with mixed media: drawing, painting and video. This pair of screen-printed
ceramic jugs also features the typical images of her iconography. 1,500 dollars,
limited edition, artwareeditions.com

77 ELLE DECOR
SHOPPING

Takashi Murakami, cushion —

“We want to see brand-new things. This is
because we want to have a glimpse of the
future, even if for a moment”, says the great
Japanese artist, founder of the Superflat art
movement, inspired by manga and their
cartoon language. His works are inspired by
traditional Japanese painting, but also by
science fiction and pop culture. This is why his

2 signature can be found in numerous gadgets

and sculptural objects. Like this double-sided
silver cushion. 119 dollars, shop.thentwrk.com

3
Patrick Tuttofuoco, wallpaper — Light sculptures, videos,
neon and site-specific actions are just some of the ways in which the
Milanese artist gives rise to his works. His peculiar language, halfway
between technological experimentation and pop taste, also defines
this colourful and amusing wallpaper, made of non-woven fabric, free of
PVC and phthalates, which depicts oversize necklaces of various shapes
and materials. The project is part of the CARTEdition wallcovering
collection, implemented by Wall&decò with AtemporaryStudio.
Dimensions 540x360 cm, 5,200 euros, editions.wallanddeco.com

4
Maurizio Cattelan, desk
lamp — Thanks to his visually striking
and highly divisive works, he is
perhaps the best-known Italian artist
in the world. His Parisian gallery
Perrotin – one of the most influential
at an international level, representing
artists such as the Nordic Elmgreen &
Dragset, the Austrian Gelitin and the
Japanese Takashi Murakami – offers
this limited-edition desk lamp in its
store. The diffuser containing the LED
light is a fine porcelain caricature of
the irreverent Maurizio. 960 euros,
storeparis.perrotin.com

5
John Baldessari, wallpaper — The pioneer artist
of American Conceptualism is known for his critical and
Photos Silvia Rivoltella

sarcastic language. His work entitled ‘I Will Not Make

Any More Boring Art’ (1971) is emblematic. Underlying
the creation of this ‘Ear/Pretzel’ wallpaper is the unusual
juxtaposition of body parts and foodstuffs that generate
an emotional short-circuit. 500 euros per roll,
artwareeditions.com, shop.serpentinegalleries.org

78 ELLE DECOR
SHOPPING

Edwuard Ruscha, shopper — The great American artist often reproduces words
in his paintings, superimposing them on natural or urban landscapes. Trained as a graphic designer
and advertiser (also for the well-known art magazine Artforum), his artistic language is that
of Pop Art, of which he embraces the sarcastic look at consumerism. This bag, made of recycled
plastic, is produced with Parley for the Ocean, a non-profit organisation aiming to protect
the sea. 50 euros, shop.parley.tv, yoox.com

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SHOPPING

7 Yayoi Kusama, notepad — The Japanese artist, born

in 1929 and one of the biggest names in the history of contemporary
art, collaborates again with the fashion house after the 2012
experience. The central themes of her art – obsession, colour,
repetition – have contaminated the brand’s latest collection of
clothes and accessories. Here, the house’s signature Monogram
motif has been customised with multicoloured polka dots, the
hallmark of Kusama’s work. 565 euros, en.louisvuitton.com

Andy Warhol, plates —

An iconic symbol of the father of Pop
Art, the banana first appeared in 1966
on the cover of the Velvet Underground
& Nico’s debut album. The original
version featured a sticky peel that,
when peeled off, revealed the inside of
the fruit, coloured pink, with an ironic
sexual allusion. Completing the playful
cover, the words ‘Peel slowly and see’.
Artware edition launches the ‘Banana
Plate’ with the Warhol’s symbol
on its front and back. 150 dollars,
8
artwareeditions.com

9Josef Albers, rug — Produced by

the textile company Christopher Farr,
this series of handmade rugs, ‘Homage
to the Square’, was created in
collaboration with the Josef and Anni
Albers Foundation. Of the well-known
German-born painter, one of the most
significant members of the Bauhaus, the
collection reproduces the formal
abstractionism of regular shapes and
uniform colours in relation to space,
light and visual perception. 950 pounds,
christopherfarr.com
Photos Christopher Horwood

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SHOPPING

10
Erwin Wurm, Onkel vase —
The Austrian artist, famous for his
‘One Minute Sculptures’, ironic
works aimed at engaging the viewer,
designed this refined series of white
porcelain vases. Handmade,
it can be purchased from the König
Galerie in Berlin, which represents
international artists such as Micol
Assaël, Claudia Comte and
Photo Roman März, SIAE 2023

Alicja Kwade. 7,500 euros,

koeniggalerie.com. A curiosity for
our readers: Wurm’s home in Austria,
to be discovered in the centre
pages of this issue.

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 THINKING

Curated by
The faces of five directors of prestigious
Italian museums who are trying out new curatorship formats.
Five ethical and political ways of producing culture
by Paola Carimati — portraits by Lea Anouchinsky

Eva Elisa Fabbris —

After seven years, she left her role
as exhibition curator in the
Research and Publications
department at Fondazione Prada
to direct the Madre Museum,
Naples. An art historian, the first
(Milanese) exhibition on which
she worked was ‘Post Zang Tumb
Tuuum’ in 2018: a tribute to the
multidisciplinary approach,
it showcased its framework in a
radical, all-absorbing fashion.
Portrait by Lea Anouchinsky

“The Neapolitan museum

already represents a community
experience, claiming a political,
local and inclusive presence
at each and every event.
As for me, I mean to work on
communication”. madrenapoli.it

87 ELLE DECOR
THINKING

Macro — The Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome is an

accessible ‘magazine’ that explores both the local and international
art scene, listens to authors and lets itself be browsed through

Luca Lo Pinto —
Following an intense experience
at the Kunsthalle Wien in
Vienna, where he learned the
meaning of ‘cultural welfare’,
in 2020 he was appointed
director of the Macro, the
Museum of Contemporary Art in
Rome. Here, alongside his team,
he experiments with other ways
of enjoying culture. Starting from
the reinterpretation of the former
Peroni factory as if he were
at the helm of a ‘magazine’:
the series of room defining the
architecture now corresponds
to the thematic development
of the exhibits, which visitors
Portrait by Giovanna Silva

can browse through freely. The

ethical and political nature of the
works is key. museomacro.it

88 ELLE DECOR
THINKING

Pistoia Musei — Identity, memory and the past

viewed through modern eyes: in the Tuscan system,
history invites us to reflect on the present

Monica Preti — From

programme director of the
Auditorium of the Musée du
Louvre in Paris to scientific
director of Pistoia Musei, the
museum system promoted by
Fondazione Caript: an art
historian, she works on new
exhibition formats. A desire to
make sense of the history of the
Tuscan city and its areas gave
rise to ‘Medioevo a Pistoia’, an
at-sight exhibition connecting
Portrait by Rachele Salvioli

the spaces of the Antico

Palazzo dei Vescovi and the
Museo Civico to extend,
ideally, beyond the boundaries
of the historic buildings. With
over sixty works on display.
pistoiamusei.it

90 ELLE DECOR
THINKING

Triennale Milano — Characterised by an interdisciplinary

approach since its opening, the museum celebrates its 100th
anniversary by blending tradition with contemporary art

Damiano Gullì —
A connoisseur of the latest forms
of creativity, in April 2022 he
was appointed curator of
Contemporary Art and of the
Public Program at the Triennale
Milano. A job he earned thanks
to his success during the
pandemic, as curator of the
summer programme of the same
Milanese institution. His resume
counts several prestigious
collaborations: he curated the
monographic exhibition
‘Corrado Levi. Tra gli spazi’ with
Joseph Grima and ‘Martellate’,
an early moment in the work of
Marcello Maloberti, with the
Portrait by Lea Anouchinsky

artist himself. triennale.org

92 ELLE DECOR
THINKING

MAD — The first National Museum of Digital Art in

Italy will be inaugurated in 2026. A mirror of the time, it will
house works conceived to be incorporeal and intangible

Ilaria Bonacossa —
Art historian and, in recent
years, involved in the
contemporary art fair Artissima
(Turin), she has been appointed
director of a museum that
doesn’t (yet) exist: the National
Museum of Digital Art (MAD).
It will be housed in Milan,
in the former Albergo Diurno
Venezia, a (neglected) Art
Deco gem. And in the words
of the Ministry for Culture:
“It will be devoted to the
Portrait by Lea Anouchinsky

production and presentation

of digital content”. The MAD
will play a strategic role
in the development of a
contemporary cultural scene
that is increasingly digitalised
and connected.

94 ELLE DECOR
THINKING
In order to collect visions, museums must stir our curiosity
and keep us on our toes. And learn to listen to the changing times,
while staying true to their identity
Local, scattered and international: in Italy like in other
countries, both public and private museums are defying tradition
by producing culture “unconventionally”. The stories brought
together here give voice to five people who — with a passion
for knowledge, creativity and the history of humankind —
have an interdisciplinary approach to the content they work
with. Not just to share knowledge, but also to continuously
redefine the perimeter of the container within which they move.
Today, anyone who is appointed director of a museum also takes
on a civic and political role which, far from self-promotion, has to
do with well-defined authorship placed at the service of others.
Theirs is a radical life choice verging on activism. An example is
the Madre Museum, Naples, directed by Eva Elisa Fabbris.
The art historian is following in the footsteps of those who came
before her, meeting the aesthetic and political needs of the
institution while strengthening its ties to the city. “The Madre
already represents a community experience; I intend to reclaim
both its social role and its active presence in the international art
scene”, says Fabbris, who learned a great deal from Germano
Celant. “The 2018 exhibition ‘Post Zang Tumb Tuuum’ explored
the Italian artistic system between the two world wars and,
‘showcasing its framework, it turned into a piece of art itself’”,
which is the meaning all ongoing experiences should strive for.
Because museums are still perceived not as fluid organisms but,
rather, as individual repositories of history which place
themselves vertically compared to their visitors: neither rejecting
nor including them. “If we examine their individual collections”,
says Luca Lo Pinto, director of the Macro in Rome (one of the
museums to leave the greatest mark on the contemporary art
scene), “museums are founded with a diachronic role, so as to
preserve something for the present and the future”. He developed
his critical thinking abroad, in Austria — the home of cultural
welfare, where the relationship between art and politics is also
more straightforward compared to Italy. “Museums exist because
there are people (artists) who produce things (works of art) that
are worth sharing with other people (visitors). Transforming the
poetic message into something accessible and unexpected is the
responsibility of those of us who take care of these structures”.
Producing, therefore, not for pleasure but to offer an experience
so thrilling as to be indescribable. It’s what happens when an
author’s style is in tune with the hosting architecture; that is, when
space breaks down the criteria of immobility for an exhibition,
giving rise to feelings of curiosity and amazement. “The feeling
of wonder”, writes Luca Molinari in his latest book, ‘La meraviglia
è di tutti’ (Einaudi 2023), “can slow us down, trip up our
distracted thoughts, spurring us to better understand the places
we inhabit”. It is, therefore, the driving force behind the creation
96 ELLE DECOR
of common stories and forms of care in a changing world.
“It’s important to train our gazes, to look at things from new
perspectives. But also to go beyond: not following the status quo
is a political act”, claims Lo Pinto, recalling when he launched
his exhibition in the sky. “It was August 2020 and Italy was still
at the height of the pandemic. After months of useless digital
content, I asked Lawrence Weiner (the first contemporary artist
to work on language) to share the past participle of some
of his verbs capable of suggesting actions”. Chipped, broken,
obstructed, tackled, shattered, snapped, sprayed, crushed, oiled,
deviated and sullied were the words that a plane banner recited
as it spanned the blue sky over a Roman coast every morning
for ten days. “It was important for people, reading them,
to feel like they could move around again. The exhibit was
viewed and appreciated even by people who would never have
entered a museum in the traditional sense”, he says with glee.
Change is a good thing, but it is also important for museums to
keep up with innovations while staying true to their identity,
because collecting visions means never enduring the trajectories
of evolution but, rather, predicting them. Also in Milan,
Ilaria Bonacossa is devoting herself to mapping the intangible:
the MAD, Museum of Digital Art, will soar next to Maria Grazia
Mattei’s Meet to welcome the avant-garde movements of today,
the signs of an ongoing artistic transformation with a momentous
outreach. “The real challenge will be figuring out how the project
(there hasn’t been a call for bids yet) will bring together the
technological future with the Art Deco spaces of the former
Albergo Diurno Venezia”, admits Bonacossa, recalling the
building designed by Piero Portaluppi in 1925 — one of the most
fascinating (and complex) hypogeum structures in the city.
From piazza Oberdan to the Palazzo dell’Arte: “On the occasion
of its 100th anniversary, the Triennale recalls the importance of
centring its programme on the communication between
disciplines. Ponti, Fornasetti, Mendini, Sottsass are mentioned
for their interdisciplinary nature”, explains Damiano Gullì,
curator of the Contemporary Art section of the Triennale, who
oversaw the 2021 exhibition on Corrado Levi. “An artist,
politician and architect, he’s a cultural agitator fighting for the
recognition of gay rights”. His is the triangular pink bench
dominating the garden, a symbol of inclusion and a meeting
place. “An example of how the identity of the Triennale
is more and more in tune with topical issues”. From a big city to
the small town of Pistoia, Monica Preti also finds herself moving
within a system that returns to the origins of the territory,
and to the Middle Ages, to build up a more aware and careful
future. Culture is done well when it does people good.
When it makes us free, both in space and time. —
 ARTWORK

Hockney Mood
Inspired by the works of the great British painter,
4 designer collages create imaginary indoor and outdoor spaces
by Ludovica Codecasa in collaboration with Massimo Novaresi

Evoking ‘Halaconia in Green

Vase’, Hockney’s 1996 work, in
the foreground is NVL table by
Jean Nouvel Design for Mdf Italia
(mdfitalia.com); above, Stripe
Vase by Laila Gohar for Hay
(hay.dk). In Blue Window, the
Pigreco chair by Tobia Scarpa
for Tacchini (tacchini.it). On the
walls, Brooklyn wallpaper by
Armani Casa and Jannelli&Volpi
(armani.com), Wall Clock by
Jasper Morrison for Hay. On the
floor, fabric by Elitis (elitis.fr).

99 ELLE DECOR
 Pictured, the mood inspired
by the 1968 painting
‘American Collectors’, indoor
and outdoor furniture.
From left, Yoko Cord by
Inoda+Sveje for Minotti,
made of teak and rope
(minotti.com), Karin sofa
by Setsu & Shinobu Ito for
Désirée (desiree.com).
Opposite page, Raiz lamp
by Studioilse for Ames
(amesliving.de), and Teo side
tables by Zanellato/Bortotto
for Saba (sabaitalia.com).
Armchair X by Hvidt &
Mølgaard, 1959, re-edition by
&Tradition (andtradition.com).
Révélation vert rugs
by Pierre Gonalons for Pinton
(pinton1867.com) and Bala
by àr-o Studio for Karpeta
(karpeta.it).

100 ELLE DECOR

 ARTWORK

101 ELLE DECOR

 The pictured living room is a
tribute to ‘Henry Geldzahler
and Christopher Scott’,
painted by David Hockney in
1969. Esosoft coffee table by
Antonio Citterio for Cassina,
with polished aluminium
structure and wavy glass top
(cassina.com); Marenco sofa,
designed by Mario Marenco
in 1970 for Arflex (arflex.it).
Right, Profiles lamp from the
Elements collection by Atelier
Areti (atelierareti.com). Curvy
102 ELLE DECOR
shapes for the Le Bambole
armchair by Mario Bellini for
B&B Italia. A cult item from
the past, 1972, now
reinterpreted with a new eco
soul. Also available in the
sofa version (bebitalia.com).
On the floor, Reversible rug
designed by Charlotte
Lancelot for the Spanish
brand Gan Rugs. Double-
faced, with one side made of
wool and the other of linen
and cotton (gan-rugs.com).
 ARTWORK

103 ELLE DECOR

 1967’s ‘A Bigger Splash’ was
the source of inspiration. On
the water, inflatable Bouée XL
Stinson by The Nice Fleet
(thenicefleet.com) and, on the
edge, reclining Borea lounger
by Piero Lissoni for B&B Italia
(bebitalia.com), Marmorea
shower designed by Davide
Vercelli for Fima, with white
Carrara marble base,
stainless steel stem and
shower head, painted white
or black (fimacf.com).
104 ELLE DECOR
Next, Bacchette director’s
chair by Mentsen for
the Zilio A&C brand, with
beechwood structure and thin
metal details (zilioaldo.it);
right, retro style for the
Beach/Picnic umbrella by
Francesco Maglia
(francescomaglia.it) and
Cesar coffee tables by
Rodolfo Dordoni, designed
for Minotti, with Basaltina
stone powder and Terracotta
finish (minotti.com).
 ARTWORK

105 ELLE DECOR

 VIEW [March 2023]

108 ERWIN WURM’S LOFT: ARE WE IN VIENNA OR NEW YORK? Defined by

slender cast-iron columns, it houses contemporary artworks and collectible design pieces.
118 ART, MATTER AND LIGHT IN MILAN. Gallery owner Nicolò Cardi reveals us his
home, designed by Henry Timi, and his collection of Arte Povera masterpieces, from
Jannis Kounellis to Giuseppe Penone. 128 KAMEL MENNOUR: A LIFE DEVOTED TO ART
AND FENG SHUI. Five exhibition spaces between Paris and London, about 40 artists
represented. The prince of French art dealers shows us the private side of an overwhelming
passion. 138 SHILPA GUPTA E RAJIV SAINI. OUR MUMBAI. The famous Indian artist
and her architect husband created their dream house: a multi-level building surrounded
by the greenery of the residential district of Bandra. 148 PORTRAIT MILANO.
In the heart of the Quadrilatero della Moda, we discover Milan’s new lifestyle destination.
A Renaissance architecture reinterpreted by Michele De Lucchi, with interior design
by Michele Bonan, reopens to the public.

107 ELLE DECOR

Large windows flood the open
space with light. In the foreground,
bench by George Nakashima.
Left, in the background, ceramic
sculpture ‘Untitled’ by Erwin Wurm,
2018, and, above the sofas,
Fun hanging light by Verner Panton.
Opposite page, behind Nakashima’s
1960s lounge chair, portrait of
Elise Mougin Wurm, by Francesco
Clemente, 2017. Right, bronze
sculpture ‘Short bag’, 2017,
by Erwin Wurm.
E R W I N W U R M ’ S L O F T:
ARE WE
IN VIENNA
OR NEW YORK?
words by Piera Belloni — photos by Martien Mulder

109 ELLE DECOR

110 ELLE DECOR
A living area furnished with
designer furniture: in the centre,
bench and longue chair
by George Nakashima, coffee
table by Carl Aubock, and
Kangaroo Chair by Pierre
Jeanneret. In the foreground, on
the vintage French table, bronze
sculpture ‘Gurken Modernistisch’
by Erwin Wurm, 2016. In the
background, to the left of
Georg Baselitz’s large painting
‘Licht wil raum mecht hern’, 2013,
lamp by Serge Mouille, table
and chair by Jean Prouvé.
112 ELLE DECOR
The dining and kitchen areas are
in one space. In the foreground,
table and chairs designed by
Pierre Jeanneret; left, on the floor,
Burmese Buddhist gong and, on
the wall, ‘Am I a house’ by Erwin
Wurm, 2009. In the background,
on the industrial-style console
table, works by Wurm — such as
the metal lamp, 2013, and the
ceramic sculpture, 2018 —
alternate with small Hellenistic
statues. Opposite page, overview
of the room where the pre-existing
cast-iron columns stand out.
Artichoke hanging lamp by
Poul Henningsen.
 “CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS’
‘QUARRY’ IS EVERYTHING AROUND THEM.
EVERYTHING CAN INSPIRE ME” Erwin Wurm

Top left, art and designer pieces

populate the home: Erwin Wurm’s
sculpture ‘Untitled’, Jean Prouvé’s
chair, Tom Dixon’s ‘Cast Shoe’
doorstop; right, detail of the steel
kitchen-island juxtaposed with
ancient Cambodian Khmer
statuettes. Opposite page, Erwin
Wurm: the tattoo ‘One minute
forever’ recreates the artist’s
handwriting. On the walls, a
series of ‘Flat sculptures’, 2021.
 He loves shaping sculptural houses, but also personally
creating the spaces he inhabits: Erwin Wurm, an internationally
acclaimed Austrian artist, is known for his irreverent and intense
works. He lives in Leopoldstadt, the second district of Vienna
now undergoing a multicultural transformation, and, together
with his wife Elise Mougin, developed the entire interior design
project. The flat, an open space with a European touch,
is in a former 19th-century factory and preserves some original
pieces, including cast-iron columns with capitals. Moving
through the home, dotted with comfortable islands, we see a
conversation area, a study corner and another for meditation.
The dining area with a kitchen also serves as a living room.
Almost all the furniture is modernist: “I’m passionate about
these furnishings”, Wurm confesses, “and I started collecting
them years ago. Now Elise mainly buys them”. Prouvé,
Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, plus a few 1960s pieces by
George Nakashima, coexist here with the owner’s creations,
but not only: “My works migrate through space, they have no
specific location: I emphasise what I like from time to time.
Between here and our other residences, we have an assorted
collection including Baselitz and some Italian artists such as
Alighiero Boetti, Clemente (his is the portrait of Elise in a corner
of the living room), and a stunning piece by Fontana. But even
these masterpieces can move and be easily relocated”. Erwin
Wurm owns other homes: outside the city, in Limberg, a castle/
house with a large garden that is also a studio, gallery and
workshop (see Elle Decor, March 2020), and another on a
Greek island. Venice is on the wish list: “I like the idea of
creating spaces for me and my family in various places, where
life is different. Thinking about how the light changes, here in
the city or in the country, or in the middle of the Mediterranean,
is fascinating”. Wurm’s oeuvre is showcased in museums all
over the world, from the MoMA in New York to the Belvedere
in Vienna: provocative, often ironic and somewhat
paradoxical, his pieces exude emotions and meaning: “It is not
true that I look at the world from an absurd perspective, it is the
world that is crazy. My work is about our reality, consumerism,
climate change, the super-rich and poverty. Therein lies the
paradox”. These sculptures are made from different materials
and draw inspiration from everyday life: “The sculptors of the
past, like Michelangelo, would personally go and select the
right stone in the quarries. I would say that contemporary
artists’ quarry is everything around them. Everything can inspire
me: lamps, chairs, houses, cars and people. In a way,
it is a process of democratising all the objects in the world,
used in the creative process”. Wurm’s last Italian exhibition is
still on show, until 18/3, at the Galleria Poggiali in Florence.
And in June, the artist will be the star of a solo exhibition
at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, England: “There will be about
a hundred pieces, some new ones made ad hoc, between
outdoor and indoor spaces, where we are conceiving thematic
spaces”. What about future projects? “I am working on new
sculptures and employing more and more scanning and
3D printers. A contemporary technique that sometimes
manages to surprise me. And if it happens to me, I think
it will also be interesting for others”. –

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The most intimate rooms are
separated from the rest
of the open space by glass walls
screened by curtains. In the master
bedroom, an African chair and,
on the wall, Franz West’s work
‘Demagogie’, 1984; in the
foreground, a glimpse of a
15th-century engraving by Martin
Schongauer. Next page, above the
vintage industrial drawer cabinet,
a Khmer lion sculpture and,
on the wall, a 1930s photographic
print by Alfons Walde.
The living room of gallery owner
Nicolò Cardi’s home, in the heart
of Milan, created by Henry Timi.
200 sqm in which space, matter
and contemporary art mingle in a
comprehensive project. In the
background, a large work by
Giulio Paolini; on the right, a work
by Giuseppe Penone. In the
relaxation area, HT211 Solco sofa,
upholstered in natural linen; in the
centre, HT457 Roccia coffee tables
made of hand-carved black fossil
stone. All designed by Henry Timi.
A R T, M AT T E R A N D
LIGHT IN MIL AN.
GUESTS OF
N I C O LÒ C A R D I
words by Tami Christiansen — photos by Nathalie Krag

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In the dining area adjacent to the
kitchen, a glimpse of the HT316
Immacolato table/sculpture with
HT119 black fossil stone benches
designed by Henry Timi. On the wall
in the foreground, a work by
Gilberto Zorio. The bookcase houses
the owner’s collection of rare
volumes. Opposite page, in the
background of the dining area,
on the wall, a large work by Jannis
Kounellis. On the left, a glimpse
of a work by Andy Warhol.
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 Simple volumes and geometries; rigorous and essential
spaces defined by the interaction between natural stone, for floors
and bespoke furniture, and white plaster for the walls, illuminated
by natural light: these are the main features of the ‘uncompromising’
project designed by the artist/craftsman Henry Timi for the residence
of the well-known Milanese gallery owner Nicolò Cardi.
“We created a minimalist environment, with no frills”, confirms the
designer. The ambitious objective was not only to design a residence
with a precise character, in line with the personality of the homeowner,
but also to create the ideal setting for an impressive art collection. The HT657 Roccia kitchen
An intimate place where the owner can relax from the daily stress, island made from a monolithic
recharge and meditate. It is not a simple dwelling, but rather an block of hand-carved stone.
On the wall, the white
exceptional mind-space: it is no coincidence that the project was lacquered wood and stone
deliberately named Domus, to emphasise the conceptual and cabinet accommodates
metaphorical value of the undertaking. We are in a 1950s building, appliances and functional
the residence where Cardi was born and raised. Founded by Nicolò’s storage units. Opposite page,
a glimpse of the entryway.
father in 1972, Galleria Cardi, today with branches in Milan and In the foreground, a work
London, has promoted some of the most celebrated contemporary artists: by Michelangelo Pistoletto,
Kounellis, Paladino, Paolini and Penone, among others, all leading among the masters of
figures of Italian Arte Povera and Conceptual Art. It is therefore natural contemporary art included in
to find the works of these masters in the gallery owner’s private Nicolò Cardi’s private
collection. Black fossil stone
collection, casually displayed as the most intimate expression Signum flooring by Henry Timi.
of his passions. “Acacia thorns emerge from the wall in Giuseppe
Penone’s large work, and charcoal, which defines the work of Jannis
Kounellis, interacts with the black stone of floors, surfaces and sculptural
furnishings”, Cardi explains. The combination of artwork and design
is the hallmark of this project. Bold, expressive and imposing are the
bespoke, monolithic, primordial, textured furnishings made
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Opposite page, a glimpse of
the hallway leading from the
living room to the sleeping
area. In the background,
bespoke Roccia wall, made of
natural stone; on the right,
piece of art by Giulio Paolini
and HT211 Solco sofa by
Henry Timi. Above, from left, a
detail of the acacia thorns that
make up Giuseppe Penone’s
large work in the living room.
Nicolò Cardi pictured in Henry
Timi’s Milan showroom.
of black fossil stone. Majestic, suggestive and naturalistic
are the outstanding wall works. Based on mutual trust, respect and
affinity, the house is the result of an ongoing dialogue between
client and designer. The concept was to convey a perfect, ever-lasting
spatial harmony. “Henry knows my taste and sensitivity.
Only someone who shares the same values could have implement
such a project. We both have a rigorous, detail-oriented approach,
according to which every line, work and finish must contribute to a
unique, timeless blend”, Cardi confirms. “We shared the desire to create
something new, that is, a space with new solutions, lines and materials”,
adds Timi. A beam of light, coming from the windows bordering one side
of the house, defines the sequence of rooms and the open spaces
of the living and dining room overlooking the green garden.
In contrast to this part of the house, devoted to conviviality, is the most
intimate area with the wooden sauna and the gym. Everywhere, lights
and shadows, voids and solids, gravity and lightness are juxtaposed.
Throughout the house, which is spread over an area of 200sqm, black
fossil stone, chosen in different finishes for the fixed furnishings,
some walls and the floors, characterises the project. Monolithic and
sculptural, the hand-carved hewn stone kitchen island conceals
all the necessary technology inside. The dining table, also custom-made
and bordered by two linear benches that evoke those of a refectory,
is another unique piece. “Henry is an artist. He knows how
to deal with art and architecture, volumes and natural materials,
thus creating a space that combines rigour and contemplation”,
Cardi concludes. And we agree. —
125 ELLE DECOR
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In the bedroom, on the wall,
a large work by Mimmo Paladino.
Bed with HT810 natural stone
base designed by Henry Timi.
Opposite page, a series of views
of the house. Clockwise from
above, the black fossil stone wall
that defines the entryway.
The wood and stone sauna; a
detail of the personal gym; a work
by Marco Tirelli in the relaxation
corner of the master bedroom.
 KAMEL
M E N N O U R:
A LIFE
DEVOTED
TO ART
AND FENG
SHUI

Five exhibition spaces between Paris and London,

about 40 artists represented. The prince of French art dealers
shows us the private side of an overwhelming passion
words by Flavia Giorgi – photos by Jean-François Jaussaud
Air and light freely filter through
the sequence of rooms
that make up Kamel Mennour’s flat
in Paris. Behind George Nakashima’s
chair, ink on canvas by Latifa
Echakhch; in the background, sofa
by George Nelson and armchair
by Josef Hoffmann.

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Gilded stuccoes, fireplaces
and wood panelling: every room
exudes 18th century décor.
On the mirror, gold on wood by
Christodoulos Panayiotou. Behind it,
George Nelson’s 1950s sofa by
Bertrand Lavier. Hanging, the
‘furniture’ by Petrit Halilaj, also
author of the figure on the left.
 There are careers one embarks on by tradition, others by choice. Not all
of them follow a linear path, and that of Kamel Mennour, an internationally renowned
art dealer – owner of four galleries in Paris and one in London – began by throwing his
Economics degree from the Sorbonne out of the window. A bold decision for a young man
of Algerian origin, who could study thanks to the efforts of a family with few means.
The fault (or rather merit) was a trip with his classmates to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,
where the vision of Rembrandt’s masterpiece ‘The Night Watch’ mesmerized him and
ignited a fervent passion. Art over money. Result: money took revenge for ten years,
as many as those spent selling prints in the Ville Lumière, without a glimmer of hope for a
better prospect. A micro-space found by chance in the Latin Quarter represented the
long-pursued opportunity: Mennour opened his first gallery there and initially specialised
in photography. Skilful and enterprising, he managed to showcase pieces
by big names such as Annie Leibovitz and David LaChapelle, but over time he also got to
know and promote young emerging artists, from Latifa Echakhch to Camille Henrot,
until the career leap, when a star like Daniel Buren agreed to join his young circle of talent.
However, another encounter was crucial for Kamel: that with his wife Annika,
the polar star of his emotional world. “Home is my real life”, Mennour reveals. “My wife,
whom I met at the age of 22, is the heart of the house we share with our five children.
What makes a place a home is love, the spirit in it. You can have a fantastic space, but
without these two elements it will always be cold, dead”.

CONTEMPORARY ART AND MID-CENTURY DESIGN COEXIST IN AN

18TH-CENTURY SPACE, OPEN TO POSITIVE ENERGIES
The family lives in serene and bright rooms, in a beautiful 18th century building
in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. “Picasso painted ‘Guernica’ in a nearby studio; the Surrealists
worked here; the hôtel particulier where one of my galleries is now located, at 47 rue
Saint-André des Arts, hosted literary salons... Art history is always around the corner, and I
like the idea of being able to carry on this legacy in my own way”. Although he
collaborated with interior designers such as Pierre Yovanovitch for his exhibition spaces,
Mennour believes that setting up a home is ‘a family affair’ and acted accordingly. “We
wanted a house open to the vital spirit, inspired by the harmony of Feng Shui. A goal that
we preferred to achieve on our own, with very few changes to the interior”.
Order and harmony define the rooms, and well-balanced furnishings allow positive
energies to flow freely. Design pieces by the owner’s favourite artists, from Nakashima
to Nelson, from Prouvé to Florence Knoll, decorate the space. On the walls, works
of art from his ever-changing personal collection; but also, on a door jamb, marks
indicating the height growth of his children. Between the delicately coloured woodwork,
ancient fireplaces and gilded stuccoes, the striped subjects of Daniel Buren and Lee Ufan,
Douglas Gordon’s neon sign and François Morellet’s luminous geometries stand out
in contrast. “I like historical mash-ups. My vision as a gallery owner and art enthusiast
is to combine different periods and styles. Always looking for the contemporary touch
inherent in the art of all eras”. —

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Another room with a fireplace,
where the ancient mirror reflects
a contemporary ceramic vase
by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec,
and a book on the work of Anish
Kapoor. Wooden chairs and table
are by George Nakashima, 1969,
while the white armchair by
Roger Landault is dated 1955.
 Leaning against the soft wisteria-coloured walls, the striped motif of Daniel Buren’s large 1980s
painting stands out in contrast; on the other side of the door, neon by Douglas Gordon. Alberto
Giacometti designed the bronze piece on the wooden table by George Nakashima, who also made the
chair; lantern by Thomas Boog. Opposite page, Kamel Mennour next to a painting by Lee Ufan;
in the background, the gallery owner’s youngest son in front of a work by François Morellet.

134 ELLE DECOR

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In the dining room, with table and
chairs by George Nakashima,
are more modern and contemporary
pieces of art. On the piano,
a work by Giacometti. Hanging
lantern by Thomas Boog. On the
central wall, neon by Douglas
Gordon and to the right, in the
background, a piece by François
Morellet. On the left, leaning against
the wall, work by Petrit Halilaj.
SHILPA GUPTA
AND RAJIV SAINI.
OUR MUMBAI
words by Germano D’Acquisto — photos by Giorgio Possenti

The black metal façade surrounded

by greenery in the Pali Hill residential district.
Opposite page, Indian artist Shilpa Gupta
and her husband, architect Rajiv Saini,
pictured on the open top floor of their home
in Mumbai. Work by Probir Gupta.

139 ELLE DECOR

In the dining room, Grand Prix chairs by Arne Jacobsen
around the table. Hanging lamp by Gaetano Sciolari. On
the wall, a large canvas by Subodh Gupta. Opposite page,
a glimpse of the reading area on the ground floor. On the
glass partition wall, ‘Where do I end and you begin’, neon
by Shilpa Gupta. On the wall, work by Viswanathan. On
the coffee table, lamp by Franco Albini, Nemo Lighting.
141 ELLE DECOR
The open-plan living room surrounded by glass
partition walls. In the living room, on the left,
seating by George Nakashima. In the centre,
on the walnut wall, a photograph by Dayanita
Singh. Under the cantilevered staircase
leading to the second floor, a 1980s wooden
sculpture by Swiss artist Andre Conde.
143 ELLE DECOR
 “Our intention was to create seamless, open environments.
Each had to be warm, familiar”

A tropical oasis in the heart of lively but chaotic Mumbai is the shelter
chosen by Indian artist Shilpa Gupta and her husband, architect and designer
Rajiv Saini. We are in the suburb of Bandra, a district that has grown out of all
proportion and vertically in just a few years, but which still retains small,
quiet arteries, far from the busy Carter Road promenade. One of these is Pali Hill,
a residential village that rises northwards, surrounded by lush vegetation,
without ever being overrun by cars, even at rush hour. “It is one of the very few
areas in the city where you can stay in the shade of ancient trees that line the
streets”, explains the architect. The house, which features a black metal-clad
façade, was purchased by the couple in 2010. Built in the early 1980s,
it remained uninhabited for more than a decade. The entrance is reached by
passing a driveway bordered by basalt slabs and a small tropical garden.
The door separates this private Eden from the hustle and bustle of the megalopolis.
Internally, the rooms are arranged around a large open space and are distributed
between the ground floor and first level, while the bedrooms and study
are located on the second floor. “Our intention was to create seamless, open
environments. Each had to be warm, familiar, so we tried to enhance these
characteristics with artworks, designer pieces and various antiques”. Shilpa and
Rajiv, who met in New York on the occasion of an exhibition at the Bose Pacia
Gallery, bought them around the world, turning the house into a veritable museum.
The works on display are many and yet, paradoxically enough, few are those

144 ELLE DECOR

designed by Shilpa Gupta, an internationally renowned artist, represented
in Italy by Galleria Continua, author of interactive videos, site-specific installations
and performances. “Having my works scattered around the house has never
excited me”, she tells us. “There are only three or four of them and they are the
ones that connect with the space of the house more than others. For example,
the neon work ‘Where do I end and you begin’ and ‘Bent Map of India’; both
speak of porosity and fluidity between bodies and meanings. The house,
with its transparent volumes, devoid of separation, does exactly the same. It’s only
natural to put them together”. The residence, designed by Rajiv as a large veranda
lit by light, houses works by Indian artists such as Prabhakar Barwe, Dayanita
Singh, Sudhir Patwardhan, Arpita Singh and Manish Nai; but also Gandhara
sculptures from the 2nd century, Italian and Japanese ceramics and collectors’
design pieces by Nakashima and Wegner. Each element has been selected with
great care, as if to define spiritual and quiet nature of the dwelling. “The entire From top left, in the studio: BBPR table,
collection has exactly this purpose”, Shilpa tells us. “It reflects Rajiv’s personal drawing by Seher Shah and ceramics from
taste, where past and present interact, through every possible form. Italy and Japan. A view of the living room
There are the works we grew up with and those that speak of our land and our on the first floor. Chairs by Nakashima and
time”. Each one seems to almost overlap the other, just like the play of reflections Hans Wegner, stone coffee tables and a
custom-made bamboo silk rug. Hemp
that reverberate in the rooms, separated only by light glass walls, acting as a sculpture by Mrinalini Mukherjee. Opposite
backdrop, or by slender wooden slats that protect the windows from the brightest page, on the kitchen worktop, a piece by
light. Making this place a small gem of harmony and coherence. — Jitish Kallat and an African tribal mask.
A view of the guest room. On the wall, a painting by
Reena Kallat and a drawing by Souza. An ancient Senufo
mask on a pedestal. Chair by Hans Wegner. Opposite page,
a painting by Atul Dodiya and a photo of Marina Abramovic
can be seen in the entrance hall. On the oak burl top,
which Shilpa and Rajiv bought in a London sawmill, another
Senufo tribal sculpture.
147 ELLE DECOR
The former archbishop’s seminary, a monument redeveloped
by Michele De Lucchi’s AMDL Circle studio, is now home
to Portrait Milano, a hotel in the Lungarno Collection group
owned by the Ferragamo family. The elegant colonnade
encloses a square, open to the city, overlooked by
restaurants and boutiques. In the background, the Antonia
store, designed by Vincenzo De Cotiis. Opposite page,
the hotel reception, with interiors by Michele Bönan.
 In the Quadrilatero della moda,
a previously secret place in Milan opens
to the public. Transforming historic
architecture into a new tourist destination
by Francesca Benedetto — photos by Mark Seelen — words by Paola Maraone

SELF-PORTRAIT

149 ELLE DECOR

Some of the hotel’s 73 rooms and suites have a view
of the loggia, enclosed on the upper level by glass
surfaces. Also on the ground floor, overlooking
the square, are the So-Le Studio jewellery boutique
and The Longevity Suite, a soon-to-be-opened wellness
space devoted to the harmony of both body and soul.
151 ELLE DECOR
“A hotel project
is like a Visconti film,
where every detail
is crucial. You need a
script you can stick to”
Michele Bönan
From left to right, clockwise,
four large windows illuminate
the monumental staircase;
on the refined rattan and
walnut panelling of a suite, a
work by Alberto Mommarelli;
a corner of the lounge
adjacent to the reception,
with custom-designed
furnishings and accessories;
an ancient stone fountain, set
into the perimeter wall of the
second-floor loggia. Opposite
page, from above, behind the
extra-large ecru fabric sofa,
the maxi sculpture by
Denis Morog; architect
Michele Bönan, author of the
interior design and artistic
director of Portrait Milano.

153 ELLE DECOR

The sequence of spaces: from the library,
in the foreground, to the ‘10_11’ restaurant,
in the background. The portal made of rotating stone
columns serves as a spectacular partition. On the sides,
backlit shelves display a rich collection of books,
objects and photographs exploring themes dear to the
Ferragamo family, such as fashion and design.
This place reveals the stratification of different eras,
from its 16th-century layout to its Baroque evolution and the latest
refurbishment. Respectful and forward-looking
We have to ideally bow our head to pass under
the monumental Baroque portal of Corso Venezia 11
in Milan, as the Borromeo motto placed at its top,
‘Humilitas’, warns us. Five centuries later, it reminds the
visitor of the importance of this virtue. And it is precisely
the same threshold that one must cross to enter Portrait
Milano, the new hotel opened by the Lungarno
Collection group after those in Florence and Rome.
Housed in what was once an archiepiscopal seminary —
later reused as a military hospice, prison, hospital and,
in one portion, the headquarters of Mario Bellini’s studio
until the 1990s — the place has now become not only a
luxury hotel, but also a shopping and wellness centre,
as well as a restaurant. “Our Portrait hotels aim to
celebrate the quality, history and values of the cities in
which they are built”, explained president Leonardo
Ferragamo at the recent inauguration. So, after the
renovation what used to be a secret corner known to few,
has become a space open to citizens and international
guests. Starting from the majestic Piazza Quadrilatero
(larger than 2,800sqm), redeveloped like the entire
complex by architect Michele De Lucchi and his AMDL
Circle studio: “The new must not outshine the old, but
integrate and enhance the beauty hidden by those old
walls”, confirms the designer. Open to customers but also
to passers-by, the square is the heart of the entire hotel
and connects the lively Corso Venezia with the more
intimate Via Sant’Andrea. A lively place that, through the
elegant colonnade, reveals the presence of restaurants,
bars, boutiques and a wellness centre. We enter the hotel
from the vaulted space that houses the reception.
Welcoming us is the large work by French sculptor Denis
Morog and a long table filled with books on art, design
and fashion, themes that we find in all the hotel’s public
and private spaces. From the library on the ground floor
to the rooms and suites (73 in total, ranging from 32
to 165sqm) located on the first floor of the building. The
interior design by architect Michele Bönan, a close friend
of the Ferragamo family, is inspired by cosy and elegant
1950s Milanese living rooms. The colour palette is
characterised by red and green, two complementary
colours often found in Milanese homes, as well as in the
city’s coat of arms. However, there is no lack of
references to Florence, the Maison’s city of choice:
hanging on the walls, photographs, prints and drawings
pay homage to the creative genius of the fashion house’s
founder. The craftsmanship of the Tuscan capital is also
well represented by the leather and bronzed brass
handles for wardrobes and sliding doors. In addition,
the woven rattan panelling evokes one of the brand’s
signature materials. Ensuring an atmosphere of refined
hospitality, even in the outdoors, are the lounges set up
along the spectacular loggias with glass windows:
true oases of privacy and silence where guests can relax
while enjoying the view of the square below.
In addition to the hotel, the spaces around the courtyard
reflect the dynamic life of the city, attracting shopaholics
and gourmands. Along the arcaded perimeter,
we visit the new Antonia boutique, a 750sqm space
designed by Vincenzo De Cotiis. A little further on,
on the corner towards Via Sant’Andrea, is SO-LE Studio,
the first flagship store devoted to jewellery created by
Maria Sole Ferragamo from recycled waste materials.
Also on the ground floor is the informal ‘10_11’ (‘Ten
Eleven’), which comprises a series of spaces for
conviviality (bar, garden and restaurant) where good
food and mixology coexist. It offers, in fact, the cuisine
of young chef Alberto Quadrio, who re-elaborates
traditional Lombard dishes, as well as drinks to celebrate
the ritual of the Happy hour. At Beefbar, a chain
restaurant by Riccardo Giraudi (who returned to Italy
after several experiences abroad), we try a selection
of fine meats and other delicacies. Here, the interiors
by French duo Humbert & Poyet evoke the décor of the
greatest Milanese architects, from Caccia Dominioni
to Borsani. The Longevity Suite, a space with spa
and swimming pool combining health and beauty, will
open soon to complete the wellness proposal of the
Portrait project. Perfectly integrated in the urban fabric,
this gem brings together past, present and future
in a single place: from religious and cultural institute
to modern multi-purpose centre, between
public functions and private needs. Always promoting
hospitality and wellbeing. —
155 ELLE DECOR
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Artemide spotlights emphasise the hotel entrance porch.
Lighting design by Alexander Bellman from the C14 Group.
Opposite page, the bar of the ‘10_11’ restaurant.
The striped curtains, from the Michele Bönan Interiors
collection, are echoed in the ceiling decorations handmade
by skilled Florentine craftsmen.
At the Portrait hotel, each
room is customised with
graphic works, photographs
and printed patents of the
Ferragamo maison, that tell
the love story between
fashion and design.
Below, in the Garden Suite,
every detail is bespoken,
from the rattan panelling to
the Italian walnut bookcase.
The door frames are made
of stone, the floors of natural
larch. Opposite page,
from top clockwise, the Junior
Suite with 1950s-inspired
custom furniture;
in the Borromeo Suite,
Carrara marble bathroom
with Devon&Devon bathtub.
On the doors, leather and
bronzed brass handles made
by Florentine craftsmen.
Dedar fabric curtains.

159 ELLE DECOR

160 ELLE DECOR
On the first floor, the loggia with glass windows offers
hotel guests relaxing corners with a view of the square
below. Next page, the impressive entrance lounge,
characterised by its pavilion vault and long central table.
The maxi rug with geometric motifs, the lamps and seats
upholstered in ecru fabric are part of the Michele Bönan
Interiors collection, as is the outdoor furniture.
INSIDEDESIGN
News from the wellness area, tactile finishes and a refined colour
palette: the relaxation rooms get a makeover
by Tamara Bianchini

Matte, soft to the touch and

anti-fingerprint, X-Kin® by Fenix,
an innovative covering,
pictured, can be used as a
wallpaper, but also to create
unusual finishes on furnishings.
Available in Jaipur red, London
grey, Bromo grey and
Comodoro green. In rolls of
1.3x10.05 m. The red Apollo
shower head by Antonio Lupi
stands out in the wellness area.
fenixforinteriors.com

163 ELLE DECOR

 The radiator is visually appealing, the coatings play with light, and
the washbasins are super pop: solutions for maximum comfort

1. Roberto Innocenti designs the Z316_sh

tapware of the Zazzeri brand. AISI 316/L
stainless steel mixer with handle available in
several textures: smooth, striped, chequered
and with mini polka dots. zazzeri.it
2. Window is the result of the collaboration
between Cordivari and the European University
of Design in Pescara. Designer radiator by
Beatrice De Sanctis, with radiating part and a
frame that serves as a towel warmer. cordivari.it
3. Two new washbasins by Simas. Po.Mo by
Terri Pecora with recessed base and Balloon by
Simas Design Team. Made of ceramic, available
in glossy colours or classic black-and-white.
simas.it 4. Chromatisms, glazed surfaces and
burns make Incensum by Acquario Due
iridescent. White-paste coating with metallic
or craquelure finish, in aventurine, corten and
burnished colours, in eight formats.
acquariodue.com

[1]
[2]

[3] [4]

164 ELLE DECOR

 INSIDE DESIGN/PROJECTS

Nature Mood by Florim

(B Corp certified, with high social
and environmental performance
standards) is a surface with
variations inspired by the natural
world, decorated with marble
and wood veins ideal for indoor
and outdoor spaces. Pictured,
Plank 04 and Plank 05, porcelain
stoneware in four formats.
florim.com

165 ELLE DECOR

INSIDE DESIGN/MATERIALS

Tactile finishes and nuances for interiors. Accessories,

objects and details between cubist shapes and minimalist details

[1] [2]

[3]
1. That’s a take. Architect David Lopez
Quincoces designs the ColorSystem line
for HD Surface. In the brand’s Milan
showroom, in via Volta 18,
PerfectCombination, CoverHD, Geotexture
and GeoOutdoor, i.e. water-, earth- and
[4] pigment-based finishes, can be seen on
partitions and walls. hdsurface.it
2. Makeover for Zeronda 1L, a hinged door
designed in 1998 by Fernando Garofoli, part
of the IO2023 collection. Now minimalist,
with all oak wood finishes or available in the
RAL colour range. garofoli.com
3. Yabu Pushelberg are the authors of the
H_378 handle for Valli, Fusital collection.
A strong stroke is interrupted by a soft wave
crossing the rosette. It comes in light black,
chrome and dark bronze finishes, and is
treated with BioCote (antimicrobial silver ion
additive). vallievalli.com 4. Totem is the
project by artist and photographer
Lorenzo Vitturi for Kerakoll. Five sculptures
Photos Vito Corvasce

designed to showcase some of the colour

variants of the Color Collection, a palette of
150 sophisticated hues. kerakoll.com

166 ELLE DECOR

DESIGNBOOK
Versatile and functional pieces designed for the office,
but also to bring a touch of Zen to remote work
by Murielle Bortolotto and Tamara Bianchini

From Denmark come furnishings for remote work

defined by essential lines. Pictured, the Result
Armchair, made from sheet steel, with oak seat
and back, created by Friso Kramer and Wim
Rietveld in the 1950s, now reissued. Passerelle
Desk by the Bouroullec brothers and, above it,
Anagram lamp by Sam Weller, all by Hay. hay.dk

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DESIGN BOOK/WORKSPACE

Beauty&Co. Afrodite, designed

by C. Ballabio for Porada,
has a solid black walnut structure
completed by a side element
with three drawers. The top,
made of wood, leather, marble or
glass, can accommodate a small
mirror to switch easily from work
to relaxation, for a moment
of beauty. porada.it

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 Office chairs with swivel or fixed legs,
for maximum comfort. The wooden desk reveals hidden details

[1]

1. Universal is the new seating

series designed by Jean-Marie
Massaud for Mdf Italia. Ergonomic,
it comes in the chair or armchair
version with wooden or upholstered
back. mdfitalia.com 2. Enveloping,
the Oolong chair by Piero Lissoni for
Living Divani is defined by a swivel
steel support structure and leather
or fabric upholstery. livingdivani.it
3. Comfortable bergère and swivel [3]
armchair Daki, with or without arms,
by Marcio Kogan / studio mk27
for Minotti. Santos rosewood shell,
also available in Brown colour or in
Liquirizia lacquered flamed ash. [2]
minotti.com 4. Calum by Simon
Pengelly for Desalto is a wide
collection with high and low
backrests, four- or five-spoke legs,
and wood, steel or aluminium
cantilever. desalto.it 5. Curved and
reclining backrest for Blues by
Giuseppe Viganò designed for Turri.
With soft padding and a five-spoke
steel base. turri.it 6. Swivel base
made of light aluminium for Alma by
Antonio Citterio for Flexform. With
pivoting wheels, it is also available
in a fixed version with fabric or
leather upholstery. flexform.it
Photos Lorenzo Cappellini Baio, Cesare Chimenti

[5]

[6]

[4]

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 In the workspace, vibrant colours for armchairs, tables
and accessories. Practical and sustainable

The wide-ranging collection

by the Mara brand, attentive to
sustainability, is devoted to the
office as well as the home. Pictured,
the Loto chair with its simple
silhouette and 100% recycled and
recyclable polypropylene shell.
Timmy table with painted metal
frame, available in ten colours;
top to choose in wood, laminate or
Fenix. On the background, B302
bookcase designed by Francesco
Barbi, comprising a module that
can be overlapped or juxtaposed
for infinite vertical and horizontal
combinations. marasrl.it

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 DESIGN BOOK/WORKSPACE

[1] [2]

[3]

[4]

1. Innovative, lightweight materials make up the Pipo table series by the German brand Gumbo. With
concealed cable routing and sockets near the legs. Also available in a bench version. gumbo.de
2. Super-comfortable, Deep Tub by Archirivolto for Quinti is a small fixed or swivel armchair. Optional,
the matte black side writing tablet, for daily notes. quinti.com 3. Ultra-graphic, the Broschyr wool
and linen rug by Gunilla Lagerhem Ullberg for Kasthall is a must-have piece designed in the 1990s by
the creative, now re-edited with new colours. kasthall.com 4. Ideal for storing objects and documents,
the Color Cabinet by Belgian Muller Van Severen for Hay. Free-standing or with feet, it is made
of organically dyed Valchromat®, an FSC-certified MDF. Pictured in the multicolour version, also
available in solid colour. hay.dk

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 Compact desks with sound-absorbing and customisable panels.
Flexible elements creatively divide workspaces

1. Glossy, matte lacquer or oak for the Jasper writing desk

[1] by Andrea Parisio for Meridiani. Measures 137x67x73h cm.
meridiani.it 2. Small dimensions and a walnut structure with an
upholstered panel for Flag, designed by ruga.perissinotto
for Bolzan. In addition, two practical drawers and matching
accessories. Measures 100x53x105h cm. bolzan.it
3. Rounded top and ovoid wooden legs for Poe by Bartoli Design
for Laura Meroni. Essential and lightweight, it is available in two
sizes. laurameroni.com 4. BuddyHub is a workstation that, thanks
to the sound-absorbing panel surrounding the worktop, creating a
private and acoustically protected niche, improves focus. Modular,
it is designed by Busetti Garuti Redaelli for Pedrali. pedrali.com

[3]

[2]

[4]
Photos Paolo Contratti

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 DESIGN BOOK/WORKSPACE

[2]

[1]

[3]

1. Friendly Border fans out to divide different work areas on the desk. Designed by German
brand Njustudio, it comes in two sizes and different soft shades. njustudio.com 2. Sesamo screen
by Armani/Casa. Two-panel solid wood with ‘black ochre carving’ covering, in a new finish
with a three-dimensional effect. Measures 110x5x140h cm, handmade. armani.com 3. Flexible,
the Textile Softwall Folding is an element that separates rooms (in addition to linear compositions, it can
also be folded) designed by Stephanie Forsythe + Todd MacAllen for the Canadians of Molo.
In five colours, it extends up to 4.5m. molodesign.com 4. Blackboard and partition from Frame,
a piece by Halleroed and Matti Klenell for Lintex. Double-sided glass with curved wooden frame,
in 24 colours and two sizes, with feet or castors. lintex.se

[4]

175 ELLE DECOR

Lamps to illuminate the study and a slender table to design tomorrow’s
masterpieces. The decorative panelling also serves as a bookcase

[1]

[2]

[5]

[4]

[3]

1. Sculptural table, Aeeri by Peter Kunz for Arper is made from a thin sheet of bent steel painted
black, white or red. Metal or oak legs, in two heights. arper.com 2. Multiple bubbles define the
metal Perlage sp14 lamp by Ideal Lux, with a round or circular section, also in a square version.
With smoked Pyrex, satin-finish brass or etched white glass. ideal-lux.com 3. Refined materials and
a technological soul are the hallmarks of Mito by Occhio. Now in the Luxury Edition, with a black
Photos Salva Lopez

Marquina marble base (also available in Guatemala green and Emperador brown) and Ascot
leather details. occhio.de 4. Cement base and lacquered metal structure for Circle by Bontempi.
A project by F + B Design that emits diffused light. bontempi.it 5. Bold, the Marsina chair
by Simone Cagnazzo for Liu Jo Casa is characterised by legs arranged in a dovetail and a soft,
removable cover. liujoliving.com

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 DESIGN BOOK/WORKSPACE

Comprehensive project. To create an

exclusive space, Rimadesio offers the
Modulor panelling system, which is
equipped with slender Eos aluminium
shelves holding one’s favourite
books and items. rimadesio.it

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 ARTSHOW
March – Exhibitions, events and openings.
The best of contemporary art and new expressions
in Italy and all around the world
by Piera Belloni

Between art and design. The Paradisoterrestre

gallery in Bologna is hosting ‘Limited’ until
25/3: three exhibitions in one, with limited
editions only. On display, among others, Paola
Pivi, Pierre Gonalons and Tobia Scarpa; a series
of re-editions such as ‘Sacco alato’ by Matta,
a collaboration with conceptual artist Andy Picci
© 2022 Andy Picci

(pictured, the work ‘Confession-Sky isn’t the

Limit’); and a section devoted to multiple pieces
of kinetic art. paradisoterrestre.it

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Dialogue with the Zeitgeist in Milan
Gian Maria Tosatti, the artist who represented Italy at the last
Biennale, is on show at Pirelli HangarBicocca with his solo
exhibition ‘Now/here’. A sort of retrospective, but decidedly
unique because the author worked on new pieces. These
encapsulate the feelings underlying his research over the last
twenty years and, like mirrors, interact with the visitors
(pictured, a detail of ‘Spazio#06’, 2012). Until 23/7.
pirellihangarbicocca.org
Image by New Affiliates and Samuel Stewart-Halevy courtesy M77 Gallery - photo by Anders Sune Berg
Courtesy Gian Maria Tosatti and Galleria Lia Rumma, Milan and Naples -
Ancient and contemporary art in Venice
The latest series of works by Marco Petrus, on show at Ca’
Pesaro with ‘Capriccio veneziano’, in collaboration with M77
Gallery, is inspired by the typical lines of the ‘braghe’
painted by Vittore Carpaccio. The vibrant chromatic textures
of the 26 canvases on display (pictured, a detail of ‘Capriccio
n. 15’, 2016), highlight the personal reinterpretation of the
past and the research on geometric forms carried out by
the Milanese artist. Until 10/4. capesaro.visitmuve.it
ART SHOW
Public projects in New York
MoMA launches ‘Architecture Now’, a programme
of exhibitions devoted to emerging talents and innovations
in contemporary design. First step, until 29/7, ‘New York,
New Publics’ focuses on 12 recent infrastructures that
reinvent the relationship between urban architecture and
shared spaces. The authors include Adjaye Associates, New
Affiliates and Samuel Stewart-Halevy (pictured, their Garden
by the Bay, Pilot Project Testbeds, 2020). moma.org
Immersive installations in Aarhus
Interwoven threads, just as human experiences are connected
in a web of intangible lines, characterise the works of
Chiharu Shiota, the star of the solo exhibition ‘Invisible Line’
at the ARoS Kunstmuseum. Drawings, paintings and six
large-scale environments, where visitors can immerse
themselves and experience the Berlin-based Japanese artist’s
constructions, from the luminous ‘Last Hope’ (pictured)
to the dramatic ‘Light in the Darkness’. aaros.dk
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 ART SHOW
Courtesy Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo

Strategic partnerships
On the occasion of ‘Reaching for the Stars’,
celebrating 30 years of the Sandretto Re
Rebaudengo Collection, more than 70 works by the
most famous contemporary artists (pictured, Rudolf
Stingel, ‘Untitled, Ex Unico’, 2004) invade all the
spaces of Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. According to
the subtitle, it is a sort of art history ‘from Maurizio
Cattelan to Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’, to be explored
until 18/6. palazzostrozzi.org

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