From October 12, a new exhibition at Palazzo Madama will shine a spotlight on a lesser-known side of the “architect of fashion”, Gianfranco Ferré. Marking a decade since his passing in 2007, “Gianfranco Ferré. Under Another Light: Jewels and Ornaments” will showcase a wealth of jewellery created by late Italian fashion designer for his fashion shows from 1980 to 2007.
A year and a half in the making, the retrospective is a collaborative effort by the Milan-based Fondazione Gianfranco Ferré and Turin Museums Foundation. The exhibition will highlight Ferré’s long-held passion for ornamentation, which was just as significant as the one he had for designing clothes.
200 jewel pieces have been carefully selected from over 350 ornaments by the exhibition’s curator, Francesca Alfano Migletti. Testifying to Ferré’s mastery of crafting bijoux, the selections feature a variety of materials and precious gems. This includes everything from polished stone, metal and ceramics to pearls, corals, crystals and Murano glass.
The exhibition will showcase belts, rings and bracelets designed by Ferré, with a touch of the avant-garde. One of the designs, originally in brass, will also be reproduced into a 3D-printed copy that will be made available for purchase at the museum shop.
On top of jewellery, eight unique dresses by Ferré will be displayed within glass cases. Apart from their linings, these dresses have been entirely crafted out of chains, stones, pearls and corals, blurring the line between fashion and jewellery.
The retrospective will be held at the grand Hall of the Senate of Palazzo Madama in Turin, northern Italy. Designed by architect Franco Raggi, the exhibition design will showcase Ferré’s intricate jewels within minimalist, rust-covered iron cages — a play on contrast against the opulent architecture of the Hall. A series of lenses will also be present to magnify the delicate ornaments’ microscopic details.
“Gianfranco Ferré. Under Another Light: Jewels and Ornaments” will run from October 12, 2017 to February 19, 2018. It is organized as part of “Torino Design of the City”, a Turin-based week of events celebrating design.
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